The Wrong Choice
by The Unusual Suspect
Summary: Starts in the middle of DH - What if Hermione left the tent when Ron had asked her to come with him? How will Harry respond? What repercussions will her decision have on the Wizarding World? Will All be well? Who will Harry end up with? Ron bashing.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter though I do wish that were the case.

A/N: This is my first piece of fan fiction so please be gentle if you intend to put up any reviews :)

This story begins in the middle of Deathly Hallows. It's a 'What If?' story with some of the characters being slightly OOC. There'll be a little dialogue from the Deathly Hallows, but majority of it'll feature my own ideas.

I read a lot of stories regarding what happened in the tent after Ron left, majority of them leading to Harry and Hermione having a relationship, defeating Voldie and living happily ever after (with three kids James, Lily and Sirius/Rose/Albus). I loved these stories because I love the H/Hr pairing and definitely believe that they should be together. However, I wanted to try something different and that's how I hit upon the following idea:

What if Hermione left the tent when Ron had asked her to come with him? What repercussions would this have lead to for Harry? Would there be a 'Happily Ever After' for the Wizarding World? Would Voldemort have fallen at all? Who would have ended up with whom in the end?

Even am unaware of the answers to these questions. We will see what happens as the story progresses. I am going to try to keep it as short as possible. I assume I have bored you enough with the authors note. On to the story then...

Chapter 1

"_We thought you knew what you were doing!" shouted Ron, standing up, and his words pierced Harry like scalding knives. "We thought Dumbledore had told you what to do, we thought you had a real plan!"_

Hermione stood quietly next to him. The look on her face was unreadable. She seemed to be mulling things over in her mind.

"_Well, sorry to let you down," said Harry, his voice quite calm even though he felt hollow, inadequate. "I've been straight with you from the start; I told you everything Dumbledore told me. And in case you haven't noticed, we've found a Horcrux—"_

"_Yeah, and we're about as near getting rid of it as we are to finding the rest of them—nowhere effing near in other words?"_

"_Take off the locket, Ron," Hermione said. Her voice was unusually high. "Please take it off. You wouldn't be talking like this if you hadn't been wearing it all day."_

"_Yeah, he would," said Harry, who did not want excuses made for Ron. "Do you think I haven't noticed the two of you whispering behind my back? Do you think I didn't guess you were thinking this stuff?"_

"So what if we were, Harry?" said Hermione in a cold tone. "It's not as if we have better things to do other than talk amongst ourselves." she continued. She had definitely not liked the ungrateful tone in which Harry was talking about her and Ron.

Harry was shocked to say the least. He had never expected these words from Hermione's mouth.

"Exactly my point" Ron hurled at him. "She said it too; she said she was disappointed, she said she'd thought you had a bit more to go on than this rubbish"

Hermione was now staring at Harry's face which was a mixture of anger and regret. She started feeling sorry for him and also regret at what she had said. The rain was pounding the tent and tears started pouring down Hermione's face.

"_So why are you still here?" Harry asked Ron_ and Hermione.

"_Search me," said Ron._

"_Go home then," said Harry._

"_Yeah, maybe I will!" shouted Ron, and he took several steps toward Harry, who did not back away. "Didn't you hear what they said about my sister? But you don't give a rat's fart, do you, it's only the Forbidden Forest, Harry I've-Faced-Worse Potter doesn't care what happens to her in there—well, I do, all right, giant spider and mental stuff—"_

"_I was only saying—she was with the others, they were with Hagrid—"_

"_Yeah, I get it, you don't care! And what about the rest of my family, the Weasleys don't need another kid injured, did you hear that?"_

"_Yeah, I—"_

"_Not bothered what it meant, though?"_

"_Ron!" said Hermione, forcing her way between them. "I don't think it means anything new has happened, anything we don't know about: think, Ron, Bill's already scarred; plenty of people must have seen that George has lost an ear by now, and you're supposed to be on your deathbed with spattergroit, I'm sure that's all he meant—"_

"_Oh, you're sure, are you? Right then, well, I won't bother myself about them. It's all right for Harry, isn't it; with his parents safely out of the way—"_

"_My parents are dead!" Harry bellowed._

"_And mine could be going the same way!" yelled Ron._

"_Then GO!" roared Harry. "Go back to them, pretend you've got over your spattergroit and Mummy'll be able to feed you up and—"_

_Ron made a sudden movement: Harry reacted, but before either wand was clear of its owner's pocket, Hermione had raised her own wand._

"_Protego!" she cried, and an invisible shield expanded between her and _Ron_ on one side and _Harry_ on the other; all of them were forced backward a few steps by the strength of the spell, and Harry and Ron glared from either side of the transparent barrier as though they were seeing each other clearly for the first time._

Harry felt a corrosive hatred toward Ron. Something had broken between them.

"_Leave the Horcrux," Harry said._

_Ron wrenched the chain from over his head and cast the locket into a nearby chair. He turned to Hermione._

"_What are you doing?"_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_Are you staying or what?"_

"_I ..." She looked anguished._ She couldn't think straight. She knew she had to make a choice and she had to do it without further ado.

"No. Am not staying" she suddenly said. "I'll come with you."

"Let's go then" said Ron with an evil smirk on his face.

Harry didn't know what to say. He thought about trying to stop them but was impeded by Hermione's Shield charm; by the time she had removed it they had already stormed into the night.

Harry stood quite still and silent. After a few moments he ran out of the tent hoping to find them and get them back. He couldn't find them however as they had disapparated.

He got back to the tent, threw himself into a chair, curled up, and started to cry.

After a few moments_, Harry felt dazed. He stooped, picked up the Horcrux, and placed it around his own neck. Then he climbed onto his own bed and stared up at the dark canvas roof, listening to the pounding of the rain._

When Harry woke the following day it was several seconds before he remembered what had happened.

Then he hoped, childishly, that it had been a dream; that Ron and Hermione were still there and never left. Yet by turning his head on his pillow he could their deserted bunks.

He almost cried again when he felt the emptiness around him. He knew he had to get up and do something or the other but he couldn't bring himself to do it. There was a mixture of emotions running through him. He felt anger, regret, panic and most of all a desire to have them back.

He decided to get up and make some breakfast for himself. All the time he kept thinking of the moments the supposed 'Golden Trio' had spent together. He couldn't believe that his friends had deserted him at the moment that he needed them the most. The more he thought about it, he came to the realization that this was his battle to fight. He had to fight it all alone. It was his destiny to fight Voldemort and his friends had made the smart choice of stepping out whilst they had the chance to live.

Dumbledore had left many questions unanswered but he had to find the answers to those questions and that too as soon as he possibly could. He felt an overwhelming desire to prove his friends wrong and he could only do that by defeating Voldemort.

He knew that things would get very difficult especially without having Hermione around. She was the brains behind the operation and it wouldn't be easy to get by without her.

He could get by without Ron though. This was the second time the git had abandoned him (the first one being during the Triwizard tournament). As it is all he did was grumble and eat.

He knew he would soon have to change his hiding place. He couldn't stay at one place for too long.

They're_ gone. Harry told himself. _They're_ gone. He had to keep thinking it as he washed and dressed, as though repetition would dull the shock of it. _They're_ gone and _they're _not coming back. And that was the simple truth of it. Harry knew, because their protective enchantments meant that it would be impossible, once _he_ vacated this spot, _for either of them to find him again.

He made breakfast and ate it, completely lost in his thoughts. He packed up his things and got ready to make the move. He wanted to spin out their time on the riverbank; several times he looked up eagerly and deluded himself into thinking that he heard footsteps through the heavy rain, but nobody appeared between the trees. _He could hear Ron saying, "We thought you knew what you were doing!", and he resumed packing with a hard knot in the pit of his stomach._

_The muddy river beside _him_ was rising rapidly and would soon spill over onto their bank. _He_ had lingered a good hour after they would usually have departed their campsite. Finally having entirely repacked the beaded bag three times _he_ seemed unable to find any more reasons to delay._

He disapparated and reappeared on a windswept heather covered hillside. He setup the tent in the nearby forest and put up the necessary protective charms. He settled onto the bed and started reading one of the books which had been left behind by Hermione.

He kept on reading to keep himself occupied while trying to figure out what might be the Last Horcrux and possible locations of it. He came up with various possible locations such as Hogwarts, Riddle's orphanage and Gringotts Bank to name a few. He was certain that two of the Horcruxes were Hufflepuff's Cup and Voldemort's Snake Nagini. However he had no idea about the final Horcrux other than that it had to be something of Ravenclaw or Gryffindor.

A week passed by and he still hadn't come up with anything beneficial. He had changed locations thrice in this period and kept up the protective charms at all places. He was used taking out Phineas Nigellus's picture and ask him about the happenings at Hogwarts. He knew for a fact that Ron or Hermione had not returned to Hogwarts. He just hoped that they were safe wherever they were.

One night he decided to read _The Tales of Beedle the Bard_ which had been left behind by Hermione. He read the various stories and came upon the symbol which he had seen on Xenophilius Lovegood's t-shirt at the time of Bill and Fleur's wedding. He thought about how Krum had told him that this symbol was Grindelwald's Mark. He couldn't help but feel pissed off at Dumbledore due to the lack of information given to him. With Grindelwald's Mark in the picture now he couldn't help but feel confused and lost. He wondered what connection Grindelwald would have to Voldemort and his Horcruxes.

He decided that he would have to pay Mr. Lovegood a visit. He remembered Ginny telling him about Luna living near the Burrow in the village of Ottery . He apparated to the village and immediately covered himself with his Invisibility Cloak. He saw the Burrow and couldn't help feeling a deep sense of hatred for his friends who had deserted him and would be most probably inside and having a good time. He resisted the urge to go inside and give them a piece of his mind.

He found the Lovegood's house on the hilltop and after taking off his Cloak, knocked on the door. It was flung open by Mr. Lovegood.

"_What? What is it? Who are you? What do you want?" he cried in a high-pitched, querulous voice, looking at Harry, upon which his mouth fell open in a perfect comical O._

"_Hello, Mr. Lovegood," said Harry, holding out his hand. "I'm Harry, Harry Potter."_

_Xenophilius did not take Harry's hand, although the eye that was not pointing inward at his nose slid straight to the scar on Harry's forehead._

"_Would it be okay if I came in?" asked Harry. "There's something I'd like to ask you."_

"_I . . . I'm not sure that's advisable," whispered Xenophilius._

_He swallowed and cast a quick look around the garden. "Rather a shock . . . My word . . . I . . . I'm afraid I don't really think I ought to—"_

"_It won't take long," said Harry, slightly disappointed by this less than warming welcome._

"_I—oh, all right then. Come in, quickly. Quickly!"_

_He was barely over the threshold when Xenophilius slammed the door shut behind him._

He asked about Luna and Mr. Lovegood told him that she was staying at Hogwarts for Christmas and that she was fine. Although he was disappointed that she was not home, Harry was happy to hear that she was safe.

He then decided to ask about Grindelwald's Mark. Mr. Lovegood told him about how it was the sign of the Deathly Hallows. He told him the tale of the three brothers and their encounter with Death. He told him about the Hallows which were the Elder Wand, the Resurrection Stone and the Invisibility Cloak and how the possessor of all of them together would become the Master of Death. Harry was intrigued by all the new information and thought that he needed time to process all of it.

He saw the new issue of the _Quibbler _and found that it was extremely anti-Voldemort and the Ministry. He advised Mr. Lovegood to refrain from printing such articles as they would bring unwanted attention to him and Luna. Mr. Lovegood agreed that he would stop for the sake of the safety of Luna more than anything else.

He decided that it was time to take his leave. He left Mr. Lovegood's house after thanking him profusely for all the help.

After setting up the tent again he sat down and pondered over what he had just learnt from Xenophilius Lovegood. He realised that his Invisibility Cloak was one of the Hallows. He wondered whether he was supposed to become the Master of Death by procuring all the Hallows. However, after contemplating over it for some time, he decided that his priority was destroying all the Horcruxes.

Some days later he had moved to a place called the Forest of Dean. His location had slipped out from his mouth during his talk with Phineas's picture. He had seen a smug grin on the face of Phineas when he had heard of the location. However, Harry had decided to stay the night and move the next morning. He had a feeling that he needed to stay the night in the forest. He felt that something was going to happen tonight. He decided to start his usual watch outside the tent.

_Several times he jerked upright, his neck aching because he had fallen asleep, slumped at an awkward angle against the side of the tent. The night reached such a depth of velvety blackness that he might have been suspended in limbo between Disapparition and Apparition. He had just held up a hand in front of his face to see whether he could make out his fingers when it happened._

_A bright silver light appeared right ahead of him, moving through the trees. Whatever the source, it was moving soundlessly. The light seemed simply to drift toward him. He jumped to his feet, his voice frozen in his throat, and raised his wand. He screwed up his eyes as the light became blinding, the trees in front of it pitch-black in silhouette, and still the thing came closer. . . ._

_And then the source of the light stepped out from behind an oak. It was a silver-white doe, moon-bright and dazzling, picking her way over the ground, still silent, and leaving no hoofprints in the fine powdering of snow. She stepped toward him, her beautiful head with its wide, long-lashed eyes held high._

_Harry stared at the creature, filled with wonder, not at her strangeness, but at her inexplicable familiarity. He felt that he had been waiting for her to come, but that he had forgotten, until that moment that they had arranged to meet._

_They gazed at each other for several long moments and then she turned and walked away._

Harry ran behind her and reached a frozen pond. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. The sword of Gryffindor was at the bottom of the frozen pond. He tried to summon the sword after breaking the ice but that did not work.

He realized that he had to prove his worthiness to the sword of Gryffindor and thus he dove headfirst into the water. He still had the locket around his neck. The water was deathly cold and the locket tried to strangle him. He was out of breath and was struggling to reach the surface of the water. After some time he decided to give up. He thought that it was weird that his end had come like this. The supposed saviour of the Wizarding World would soon be no more due to him drowning in a frozen pond.

After a few gasps he suddenly felt someone else beside him. He felt that other someone cut off the locket from his neck and take the sword from his hand, he felt that someone wrap their arms around him and pull him outside the pond.

He wondered whether he had enough left in him to survive. He felt his senses being shut down one by one.

Suddenly he felt warmth spread across his body. The person who had rescued him had performed a warming charm on him. He felt slightly better and thought about sitting up to see the person who had rescued him.

He saw the person and despite his current state a look of surprise crept upon his face.

(A/N: A lot of what I've written so far is directly from the Deathly Hallows and is indicated by Italics. Now that the defining scene of the story is over, the similarities to the Deathly Hallows will lessen. As I had told you before, I do intend to introduce quite a few of my own ideas as well as different characters.

Thanks for reading so far. I'd love to see your reviews.)


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Hermione and Ron had left the tent. As soon as they disapparated outside the Forest, Hermione couldn't help but think about the consequences of her actions. She wasn't too happy with her decision and wondered why she had decided on this particular course of action. She thought about going back to Harry but the lure of a normal life with the guy that she thought she liked (Ron) kept her from taking that path.

Ron was happy that he was heading home. He couldn't help but feel pleased that Hermione had come with him. He had always thought that she had a thing for him and this had proved it. He thought about good food at home and a comfortable bed. Maybe he would even be able to convince Hermione to share that bed with him in a few days. This thought bought a deeply satisfied smile on his face.

They decided to head to the Burrow. After a particularly nasty encounter with snatchers they managed to apparate on the hills near the Burrow.

Hermione decided to disillusion Ron and herself while entering the Burrow in case there were any Death Eaters keeping watch. They entered the Burrow and saw that only Molly was sitting inside. The rest of the family were supposedly out.

Hermione removed their disillusionment charms after they had closed the door behind them. Molly was stunned to see them appearing out of nowhere.

"What are you guys doing here? Does Harry need help? Did something happen out there" she asked in a surprised voice.

"Erm...no. We came back" said Ron

"What? Why?" asked Molly.

Ginny who was home for her Christmas vacation from Hogwarts had rushed down when she heard voices in the hall. She was surprised to see Ron and Hermione standing there but decided to hear them out before making any comment.

Hermione proceeded to tell them about their travels leaving out the part of the Horcruxes. She told them about the fight between Harry and Ron and about how she had chosen to come with Ron.

Mrs. Weasley was furious. She raged "How could you do that to him? You guys were supposed to be his friends. He trusted you guys to go along with him and this is how you paid him back. He was your first friend and this is how you treated him?"

"Hermione, I am disappointed in you. Of all people you were the last one I could have expected this from" she said. Hermione burst into tears at this point.

"And as for you Ron, I feel disgusted in calling you my son. What you did was pathetic. Get out of this house – get out now!"

"But he deserved it Mom. He didn't have the necessary information to defeat You-Know-Who. He just led us out on a wild goose chase. We didn't have proper food or a decent bed to sleep in. We weren't even accomplishing anything. We had to come back."

At this point Ginny couldn't control herself any longer. She reached out for Ron and smacked him hard across the face.

"You Bloody Moron! You insisted on going with him. He never asked you to come. Now you along with your pathetic excuse for a girlfriend suddenly turn up here and defend what you did by putting the blame on him? You are a disgrace, Ronald Bilius Weasley and the bitch standing next to you is no better."

Hermione couldn't stop the tears from flowing at this point of time. She realized what a huge mistake she had made. She had abandoned her first are only true friend. She had made the wrong choice.

Ron, on the other hand was furious with his little sister. How dare she slap him? However, he knew better than to argue at this point of time.

After a few uncomfortable moments of silence Ginny decided she needed to call Bill. She floo called him and he came soon. They decided that Ron and Hermione couldn't be captured because they had too much information regarding Harry and his work. Bill took them to Shell Cottage where he was the Secret Keeper as the house was hidden under the Fidelius Charm.

They slept that night in Shell Cottage. Hermione again cried herself to sleep as she remembered what she had done.

The next day dawned and Hermione decided that she would talk to Ron and they would go back to find Harry. She couldn't come to terms with the fact that they had left him all alone.

At the breakfast table she decided to broach the topic of returning to find Harry.

"Ron, I think we should go back and find him," she said.

Ron seemed not to hear. He was too busy devouring the pancakes which Fleur had made.

"We need to go back Ron" she said again, this time more firmly.

This bought Ron out of his stupor and he almost shrieked, "Are you mental? Why would you want to go back to that loser? He doesn't even know what he's doing. It's not as if it's our destiny to destroy You-Know-Who after all."

"But he's our friend Ron. We've got to help him" she said.

"If you really wanted to help him you should've never come with me" said Ron with an indifferent tone.

Hermione fell silent at this point. She knew she had made a choice but she couldn't get rid of the feeling that she had made the wrong one.

She thought about going and searching for him on her own but she knew that she wouldn't be able to find him as he would have mostly moved by now and also setup the protective charms at his new hideout.

She decided that staying and waiting for something was her best bet.

A few days passed. Ron had tried to converse with her but she was never in the mood to talk to him. She kept thinking about how Harry needed them but how she was unable to do anything about it.

Ron was downright pissed. He hadn't gotten close to Hermione as he had expected. She pretty much refused to talk to him. He wondered how long it would take for her to get over Harry. He couldn't help but feel jealous that Harry's absence made her feel this way.

On the night of Christmas Eve, Hermione decided to stay up late while the others went to bed. She switched on the Wizarding Wireless and started fiddling with the Deluminator which she now carried because Ron didn't see the point in carrying it and wanted to dispose of it. While she was again lost in her thoughts she heard a voice say her name. She could recognize that voice anywhere. It was Harry's voice and it seemed to be coming from the Deluminator. Harry was talking about how Ron and Hermione had left him alone. Hermione was confused. How did the Deluminator really work? She couldn't figure out what to do. She was expecting some miraculous light to come out of the Deluminator and take her to Harry but it didn't happen.

Did the Deluminator allow her to listen to Harry or was it a link to his thoughts? She pondered over this for a moment. She heard Harry thanking someone for saving him from some frozen pond. She heard him talk about the Sword of Gryffindor and about how thankful he was to finally have it with him. She felt her heart soar. Harry had the Sword and now he could destroy the Horcruxes. But her euphoria ended when she suddenly realized – Harry was not alone.

(A/N: Lol. I wonder how many of you'll thought that Hermione would be the one saving him from the lake. Who was it who saved him? Was it Ron? Or Ginny? Or Bill? Or was it Mrs. Weasley?). Read on to find out. Thanks for reading till now. Please review.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Harry sat straight while looking into his rescuer's eyes. He was flummoxed as he sat figuring out what exactly had happened. He had no idea how she had turned up here but was determined to find out.

He couldn't believe that Daphne Greengrass, the Slytherin 'Ice Princess' whom he had rarely ever talked to before had just saved his life.

They sat for a moment in uncomfortable silence until Harry suddenly said, "What are you doing here Daphne?"

She couldn't help but keep the sarcasm out of her voice, "Your non-verbal words of thanks are much appreciated Potter."

Harry felt a little stung by her words and immediately thanked her for saving his life. They decided that they needed to have a talk and sitting next to a frozen pond which had almost taken his life wasn't exactly the best place to carry out this discussion.

He asked her to come back to the tent with him and she agreed. Once they reached the tent again, Harry entered the tent followed by Daphne. He proceeded to make coffee and Daphne helped him in doing the same. They then sat down at the table and started talking.

Harry decided to begin, "So Daphne, what brings you here?"

"I will answer all your questions truthfully and to the best of my knowledge Harry. Please promise me however that you'll not take any action till am done with my explanation."

Harry thought about this for a moment. The girl had saved his life after all. So he went ahead and said, "I promise."

Daphne began her explanation, "I belong to the Greengrass clan which is one of the most esteemed pureblood families in the world. During the last war against Grindelwald my family had decided to remain neutral and they decided to do the same this time. In the summer, The Dark Lord contacted my Dad and asked him to swear allegiance of Clan Greengrass to his cause and asked him to join the ranks of the Death Eaters. My father however chose to remain neutral and decided to refuse the offer. The Dark Lord was not happy when he heard of my father's refusal and he decided to make an example out of our family. Some nights ago, Death Eaters attacked Greengrass manor. I was at home as my parents had refused to send me back to Hogwarts. My parents were captured by the Dark Lord's forces. However, I escaped with help from my Godfather who was one of the Death Eaters who had attacked my House. My Godfather took me to his house and put me there under the Fidelius Charm with him as the Secret Keeper. Three days later he informed me that my parents had refused to bow down to the demands of the Dark Lord even after they had been tortured mercilessly. He also told me that my little sister, Astoria hadn't been captured and she had somehow managed to escape. He had no idea of her whereabouts. I hoped and prayed that she had managed to survive. After some more days, I was informed that my parents had still refused to bow down to The Dark Lord. They were killed by The Dark Lord himself."

At this point Daphne broke down in tears, unable to continue any further. Harry was in a state of shock. He couldn't believe that the girl sitting in front of him had gone through such a traumatic time in the past few days. He was unable to decide what should be the best course of action as he looked at the crying girl in front of him. He decided that she needed him and moved to her side of the table and hugged her. She continued to sob for some time and Harry was there whispering in her ear that everything would be alright. After some time her sobs ceased and she decided to continue her tale.

She continued, "I was in a state of depression for the next few days. I refused to eat and couldn't manage to get any sleep. Whatever little sleep I had was marred by nightmares about my parents being tortured and killed. My Godfather had given me strict instructions to stay inside the house. He was on the lookout for my sister but was unable to locate her. I settled down at my Godfather's house, but it took a little time to adjust. He was almost never home due to other commitments. Today, he came to see me. He told me that he had a very important job for me."

At this point curiosity got the better of Harry and he couldn't help but interrupt, "Your Godfather seems to be a very brave man Daphne. Who is he? Do I happen to know him by any chance? You don't have to tell me if you don't want to of course, but it wouldn't hurt our cause to have an inside source. I assume you understand."

Daphne paled a little at this. She knew this question was coming and she strengthened her resolve to answer truthfully, "As I told you before Harry, I will tell you the truth but you have to remember and honour the promise you made to me."

Harry nodded at this and she let her bombshell drop, "My Godfather is the current Headmaster of Hogwarts. His name as you must know by now is Severus Snape."

Harry's mind went into overdrive. His entire being was filled with rage at the mention of the person who was his second biggest enemy after Voldemort himself.

He managed to compose himself a little but still his voice came out in a low drawl, "Snape? That murderer is your Godfather? This is ridiculous."

Daphne could see the rage in his eyes and her blue orbs gave a pleading look to the green ones in front of her as if to say 'Please hear me out'.

Harry mellowed down a little at the pleading look in Daphne's eyes and decided to hear out the rest of her tale before making any rash judgements. He never broke his promises as long as he could avoid it.

He made a hand gesture as if to indicate to her that she could continue.

Daphne let out a breath which she didn't realise that she had been holding and continued, "As I said before, he came to me earlier today and told me that he had a job for me. He asked me if I wanted to see the downfall of The Dark Lord and I nodded in the affirmative. He then told me about the sword of Gryffindor and that it was extremely important that the sword reach you. He also gave me a box which he had shrunk in size. It's currently with me. He then told me that I could make a great contribution to the War if things went as planned. Then he got me here, cast his patronus and told me to follow it at a safe distance. I followed it till I realized that it had gotten your attention. Then I slowed down my pace and hid behind a couple of bushes while you did the best to kill yourself in front of my eyes. I saw you struggling in the water and jumped in to save you. The rest of it you know about. "

Harry couldn't understand what to make of this. Daphne's sudden appearance and Snape's help of sending him the sword of Gryffindor led to very confused Harry Potter.

He then asked the inevitable question, "Can I see the box please?"

Daphne hesitated, "You might have to turn around for that Harry. I was told to keep the box safe and it's not exactly in a position which you can see, if you know what I mean."

Harry had seen enough in his six years at Hogwarts and knew better than to turn his back to anybody, whether friend or foe. He flat out refused to turn around.

Daphne tried to argue her case but she finally relented and took off her robe. Harry couldn't help but stare. He was mesmerized by her well toned body which was very much there for him to see in a tight fit top and jeans now that her robe was gone. He realized that her blonde hair complimented her other features. She was certainly well endowed and definitely a treat to the eyes. All thoughts of Ginny fled from his head as he looked at the gorgeous female in front of him.

Daphne noticed his appreciation and couldn't stop a blush from coming to her cheeks which had turned pink by now. She quickly moved to admonish him for staring even though some part of her mind was telling her to let him stare. Then she proceeded to remove the box from inside her top and Harry started to stare again. This time she decided not to say anything.

She handed him the box and he proceeded to remove the Shrinking charm and opened the box. He found something inside which he hadn't expected. In front of him lay Dumbledore's Pensieve and a vial of silvery liquid substance which looked like memories.

Harry couldn't for the life of him figure out why Snape had sent him this. He thought that it may be a trick but then realized that Snape could have killed him or captured him at various points during the day as he was outside of his protective wards. He decided that he would have to check the memories by himself. He decided to trust Daphne and after asking her to stand guard he entered the Pensieve and began looking at the memories.

Harry was stunned at what the memories revealed to him. He saw how Dumbledore had wanted Snape to kill him as he was already dying. He also realized how Dumbledore had planned to negate the Elder Wand by dying willingly at the hands of Snape. He had hoped for some information about Horcruxes but there was none. He came out from the Pensieve with a grudging respect for his former Potions Master. He realized that Snape had always been trusted by Dumbledore for a reason and it was pretty evident what that reason was: It was his love for Lily Evans. Snape had loved Harry's mother with all his heart and he had been heartbroken when Lily had died. At that point Snape had decided to revenge the death of Lily Potter by bringing down Voldemort. He had worked tirelessly for this cause and had put himself at great personal risk by becoming a spy for Dumbledore.

He got up and began to pace in silence in while trying to organize his thoughts. Daphne realized that Harry needed his space and decided to respect his silence rather than ask questions.

Harry got himself out of his reverie and sat down at the table. So much had happened in one night that he didn't know what to say or do. He finally decided to tell Daphne his side of the events minus the significance of the Horcruxes. He talked about whatever had happened since the wedding and ended with Ron and Hermione's departure. Daphne couldn't believe it when he told her that they had walked out on him. She pulled him into a hug as he had done to her so as to comfort him and he thanked her.

Harry also talked about how he was happy to have finally found the Sword of Gryffindor as he needed it to destroy 'special objects'. Daphne did not press the issue. Harry also thanked her again for rescuing him from certain death in a frozen pond. Daphne remained quiet but couldn't stop a smile from creeping up on her face at his repeated words of thanks.

Harry also had another question playing on his mind and he put it forth to Daphne, "Why did Snape choose you Daphne? Don't get me wrong, I am glad he did. But then again we have rarely ever talked before this at Hogwarts."

Daphne had a pretty good idea as to why it was so, "I agree with you Harry. Even I was shocked when he told me that I would come and find you here. He knew me since I was born and had seen enough of me to realise that I would do the right thing. Also, being my Godfather he knew that although my family were neutral in the war, I completely detested the Dark Lord and his stupid cronies. He must have needed to get you the sword and the memories and had to do it tonight before you moved. He also told me that he would have preferred to send someone you've had more contact with in the past few years but with majority of them hiding somewhere in Hogwarts like Neville or Luna and some of them having not returned to Hogwarts like Ginny, it was not possible for him to do so."

Harry deemed it to be a completely reasonable explanation, "Yeah. I am really glad you came here Daphne. So what do you plan to do now?"

Daphne was waiting for this question and immediately answered, "I want to help, Harry. I want to avenge the death of my parents. I want to fight."

"But Daphne, the danger-"

Daphne almost shouted, "Do not even try to talk me out of this Potter. The danger may be big. I don't give a damn. My parents are dead and my sister is missing. It's all because of one maniac who thinks he is superior to others. I want to go back to living a normal life again and that'll be only possible if I can help you to get rid of him. I am in this with you whether you like it or you don't"

Harry was a little taken aback at Daphne's outburst. He knew that the girl deserved a chance to fight. Also, after the events of tonight he trusted her. He made a decision and he hoped that it was the right one.

"Alright Daphne, you can help me. Merlin knows that I can do with the help right now."

Daphne got a smile on her face when she heard this, "Thank you Harry. I can assure you that you'll not regret it."

Harry gave her a smile back, "If the events of tonight are anything to go by then am sure I won't. You should turn in for the night. Take Hermione's bunk and get a good night's sleep. We'll talk again in the morning."

Daphne nodded at that and moved to Hermione's bunk. After making a few adjustments she laid down on it. She was exhausted by the day's activities and almost immediately fell to sleep.

Harry decided to keep watch while Daphne slept. He couldn't help but wonder as to how much had changed over the past few hours. He now had someone to help him get through this war. He was also in possession of the Sword of Gryffindor and could now destroy the Horcruxes. He decided to destroy the locket as soon as they moved next morning to a new location.

He was amazed at the role that Severus Snape had played so far in this war. Maybe there was hope in this world after all.

Harry soon lay down on his bunk and fell off to sleep after some more thinking. He slept peacefully and with a smile on his face. He wouldn't remember it in the morning but most of his dreams were dominated by a certain blue-eyed girl.

(A/N: How do you like the new introduction? I am a big fan of the HPDG ship. The Boy Who Lived/Ice Princess pairing really appeals to me. However I haven't yet decided whether to end this fic as an HPDG. Lets see what else turns up in this twisted mind of mine. Please Review people !)


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I made a small error in Chapter 2 and it's been rectified. Hermione listened to the Deluminator on Christmas Eve night and not Christmas morning as was previously specified in Chapter 2. The error has been rectified. I have also modified the properties of the Deluminator a little. Now it works for a limited time period after the name of the person who is in possession of it has been mentioned. During this time period the person who is in possession of the Deluminator can hear the person who's mentioned their name. Only the person who mentioned the name can be heard and no one else.

Enough of my ranting now. On to the story again...

Chapter 4

It took a long time for Hermione to recover from what she had just heard. Who was it that Harry was talking to? She could only hear Harry's voice. At first she'd been afraid that he'd been captured. But the ease with which he was talking had gone a long way in allaying her fears.

But that still didn't answer her question – Who the hell was Harry talking to? It seemed that the Deluminator worked only for a limited time period. She's heard about him explaining their (Ron and Hermione's) departure and about him finding the Gryffindor sword and how he was so happy to have finally found it. But at that point the connection had been broken and left behind a very perplexed Hermione.

Hermione was left pondering over a variety of things. Someone had saved Harry from a frozen pond. Tears streamed down her face as she realized that Harry had been in near death danger and she wasn't there for him. She couldn't help but feel jealous of the person who had helped Harry. It was she who was supposed to save him from the pond. It was she who was supposed to help him find the Sword of Gryffindor. She had been doing it for more than six years. Why should now be any different?

She settled down after some time and started analysing the situation. Should she tell the others what she had found out? She mulled over this for a few moments and decided not to inform anyone. Ron apparently didn't care and she didn't think that informing the others would make any difference. She needed to meet Harry anyhow. She needed to let him know that she was there for him.

She decided to go to bed and ponder over her dilemma in the morning. She would behave in front of others as if nothing untoward had happened. On her own though, she needed a plan. She had to find Harry Potter.

--------------------------

Daphne was the first one to get up next morning. She sat up on her bunk and looked around taking in the new surroundings. Her gaze fell on the smile on Harry's face while he slept peacefully. She couldn't help but smile herself. The guy had been through so much and he deserved all the help he could get. She resolved at that moment that she would help him to the end whether he wanted her to or not.

She thought about what had transpired last night. She was happy that Harry had accepted her help. She still hadn't mentioned a couple of things to him but decided to do so as soon as she got the chance.

She got up from her bunk and decided to make some coffee for herself and Harry. Harry woke up when he heard some noise coming from the kitchen portion of the tent. It took him a while to realise who it was. He got down from his bunk and padded over to the kitchen.

"Good morning Daphne", he said groggily.

"Top of the morning to you too, Harry", she replied cheerfully.

Harry made his way to the kitchen counter and started making some omelettes. Daphne looked on appreciatively as she saw the skill and ease with which he made the omelettes.

They sat down on the table and started with their breakfast.

Daphne proclaimed, "These omelettes are brilliant Harry. Where'd you learn to cook so well?"

Harry's reply was nonchalant, "I used to stay with my Aunt and Uncle before I came to Hogwarts and also during summer vacations after that. I was supposed to do majority of the chores in the house and making breakfast for their family was one of them."

Daphne who had never had to cook in her life gave him a sad smile at this statement. She had heard rumours about Harry Potter detesting the Muggles who he used to stay with. She decided not to press the issue.

They finished their breakfast quietly and cleared up the table.

Harry said, "Daphne, we will have to move to some other place now. I have stayed for some time here. We have to keep changing locations so as to avoid detection."

Daphne knew that this was the perfect time to reveal her plan to Harry, "I think I have a way so that we can avoid changing locations."

Harry was intrigued by this statement and couldn't help but wonder what her plan was. She proceeded to take out a piece of parchment from her trouser pockets and showed it to Harry.

Harry read:

_The residence of Severus Snape is located at Spinners End. _

Harry was astounded. Snape had outdone himself this time. After the Sword of Gryffindor he had provided another invaluable tool, a house under the Fidelius charm.

Daphne took in his surprised look and grinned, "Severus gave me that piece of parchment and asked me to offer you his house for continuing your task. According to him, a Death Eater's house was the last place where The Dark Lord would expect you to be located at. I agree with him and I could surely do with the company. It does tend to get pretty lonely there."

Harry was still in a daze and said the first thing that came to his mind, "You call him Severus?"

Daphne was a little surprised at his question. She replied, "Erm...yeah. He told me to call him by his first name as soon as I came of age. He said that Godfather made him feel old."

Harry laughed at this. He was surprised to find out that Severus Snape had a funny side to him as well. He thought about the offer from Snape and decided that moving to his house seemed to be a perfectly good idea.

Harry stated, "I think that moving to Snape's house is a great idea. It will give us a base to work from without the fear of detection. And as you said for yourself, I could surely do with the company as well."

Daphne beamed at him, "So what are we waiting for? Let's make a move."

Harry still had a question, "How do we get there? I have never seen the place so I won't be able to apparate. Will you be able to side-apparate me?"

Daphne frowned at this, "I don't think so. I have never side-apparated anyone before and I don't think that I'll be able to do it without running the risk of splinching."

Harry sat down and started to think. This seemed to be a problem. He couldn't move about in the open as there was danger of being spotted. He saw Daphne pondering over the same problem. Then it hit him. It was a rather far-fetched idea but he still hoped that it would work.

He sat down straight and called out –

"Dobby?"

There was a sudden pop in the tent. Daphne shrieked but then relaxed when she saw that it was a house elf.

Dobby squeaked, "Harry Potter Sir called Dobby's name. It's Dobby's greatest privilege to be summoned by the great Harry Potter sir. How can Dobby help?"

Harry smiled when he saw the over excited elf, "Dobby, we need your help. I need to get to Severus Snape's house. It's under a Fidelius Charm and I am aware of the location. Can house elves get through Fidelius Charms or do you need to know the secret? Will you be able to get me there?"

"Fidelius Charms not work on house elves sir. However, if humans are accompanying house elves then they should know the location. Dobby can get you to Hogwarts Headmasters house as you know of location. Should Dobby take Harry Potter's Miss too?" he said looking at Daphne.

Harry chuckled at Dobby's reference to Daphne while she herself looked astonished, "No Dobby. Miss Daphne can apparate as she stays there. I have never seen the place so it's not possible for me to go that way."

Harry then turned to Daphne, "So we should start packing now. We should be ready to leave-

Dobby interrupted Harry, "Harry Potter sir need not work when Dobby is here. Allow Dobby to do it for Harry Potter sir."

Harry watched as within seconds Dobby had packed up the contents in the tent.

He said, "Thank you Dobby. This means a lot to me." Daphne nodded in agreement.

Dobby burst into tears, "Harry Potter sir is too kind. It's an honour for Dobby to help Harry Potter sir. Dobby lives in the hope of having a chance to serve someone as great as Harry Potter sir."

Harry was suddenly hit by another inspired idea, "Will you work with me Dobby? I'll pay you of course."

Dobby almost squealed in delight, "Harry Potter sir wants Dobby to work _with_ him. All other masters want to make Dobby work _for_ them. Harry Potter sir is treating a little house elf like Dobby with respect. Harry Potter is truly a great wizard. Dobby will most certainly do it. Harry Potter sir need not pay Dobby."

Harry insisted, "I want to pay you Dobby. I'll pay you the same wages that you got at Hogwarts."

Dobby tried to argue a little but Harry would not budge. Dobby finally relented and accepted Harry's offer. They shook hands and the bond was formed.

Harry removed the protective charms and soon Dobby took his hand and they went off with a pop. Daphne saw them and she also disapparated.

Within a second all three of them were standing in the sitting room at Spinners End, which had the feeling of a dark, padded cell. The walls were completely covered in books, most of them bound in old black or brown leather; a threadbare sofa, an old armchair, and a rickety table stood grouped together in a pool of dim light cast by a candle-filled lamp hung from the ceiling. The place had an air of neglect about it, as though it was not usually inhabited.

Daphne always got a dizzy feeling after apparating. She composed herself, "I know it's not an ideal place to live in. We have little choice in the matter though."

Harry smiled, "Please don't worry about it. After living in a tent for months, this place seems like heaven."

Daphne smiled at this, "Alright then. Go upstairs and you can get settled in the room on the left."

Harry moved towards the staircase while she turned to Dobby and said, "Dobby, could you please take Harry's stuff to his room?"

Dobby immediately complied. By the time Harry reached his room all his stuff was well arranged in various portions of the room. He thanked Dobby for the help and asked him to go and ask Daphne if she needed anything.

Daphne asked Dobby to prepare a light lunch. Dobby went to the kitchen and started with his work.

Soon they were all settled in and sat down for lunch. Harry had done some thinking while he was up in him room and he had come to a decision.

Harry said, "Daphne, I need to tell you something. It's about Volde-"

With a flick of her wand, Daphne had silenced him. She looked furious, "You were about to say his name? Do you not know about the taboo?"

Harry removed the silencing charm on himself and said, "What taboo? It's just a name. Fear of the name increases fear of the name itself."

Daphne explained, "I am not afraid to say his name Harry. It's just that his name has been jinxed. It breaks all kinds of protective enchantments. As soon as you say You-know-who's name a swarm of his supporters will be able to apparate exactly where his name was uttered. They consider it an act of defiance to say his name. It's somewhat similar to the Trace the Ministry has placed on underage wizards and witches."

Harry was stunned at this revelation. He suddenly remembered something, "That is surprising; I wonder if that's how they caught us at Tottenham Court Road."

Daphne was surprised, "You were captured and managed to escape?"

Harry nodded his head, "Yeah. But that's a story for another time. What I want to tell you about is something which you can't tell anybody about. It deals with him and the reason why he is nearly immortal. Have you ever heard of the term Horcruxes?"

Daphne shook her head, "No. Never came across it."

Harry then proceeded to explain the concept of Horcruxes to Daphne. Daphne listened to what Harry had to say. By the end of it she was disgusted. She couldn't believe that any person could be so depraved.

Harry continued with details about the Horcruxes that they knew about.

After giving her the details he said, "I want you to destroy the Horcrux inside Slytherin's locket. I am going to open it using Parseltongue and you should stab it with the Sword of Gryffindor."

Daphne was a little taken aback, "You want me to stab it? Shouldn't you be the one to do it? You are a Gryffindor after all."

"The sword does not care about which house you were sorted into. You got the sword out of the pool. I think it's supposed to be you."

He was not being kind or generous. Dumbledore had at least taught Harry something about certain _kinds_ of magic, of the incalculable power of certain acts.

Daphne was not one to back away from a challenge. She nodded her assent.

Harry setup the locket in one corner of the room.

"On three," said Harry, looking back down at the locket and narrowing his eyes, concentrating on the letter S, imagining a serpent, while the contents of the locket rattled like a trapped cockroach. It would have been easy to pity it, except that the cut around Harry's neck still burned.

"One . . . two . . . three . . . _open_."

The last word came as a hiss and a snarl and the golden doors of the locket swung wide with a little click.

Behind both of the glass windows within blinked a living eye, dark and handsome as Tom Riddle's eyes had been before he turned them scarlet and slit-pupiled.

"Stab," said Harry, holding the locket steady on the rock.

Daphne raised the sword in her hands: The point dangled over the frantically swivelling eyes, and Harry gripped the locket tightly, bracing himself, already imagining blood pouring from the empty windows.

Then a voice hissed out from the Horcrux.

"_I have seen your heart, and it is mine."_

"Don't listen to it!" Harry said harshly. "Stab it!"

"_You're a fool, Greengrass. You chose the wrong side. You will meet the same sticky end as your parents."_

"Stab!" shouted Harry; his voice echoed off the surrounding walls.

"_You were never cared for at Hogwarts. Nobody even bothered to become your friend. Your parents never loved you. Your sister, Astoria was always the darling in your parent's eyes. And now she's also gone. You're left with nothing, absolutely nothing..."_

"Daphne, stab it now!" Harry bellowed; He could feel the locket quivering in his grip and was scared of what was coming. Daphne raised the sword still higher, and as she did so, Riddle's eyes gleamed scarlet.

Out of the locket's two windows, out of the eyes, there bloomed, like two grotesque bubbles, the heads of Ginny and Hermione, weirdly distorted.

Daphne stared in shock and backed away as the figures blossomed out of the locket, first chests, then waists, then legs, until they stood in the locket.

"Daphne!" shouted Harry, but the Riddle-Ginny was now speaking with Voldemort's voice and Daphne was gazing, mesmerized, into her face.

"_Why'd you even bother to come and help Harry? You thought that maybe you'll get someone to care for you? You honestly can't be that stupid? Slytherin's are supposed to be smart and cunning, not foolish. Harry will never ever look at you as more than an evil Slytherin. You know at the back of your mind that he'll come crawling back to me once everything's over."_

"_Presumption!"_ echoed the Riddle-Hermione, who was more beautiful and yet more terrible than the real Hermione. She swayed, cackling, before Daphne, who looked horrified yet transfixed, the sword hanging pointlessly at her side. _"What have you done for the Boy-Who-Lived? Harry belongs to me and Ginny. You have no right to be his friend. And as for being something more than a friend, it's criminal for you to even dream about it. "_

"Daphne, stab it, STAB IT!" Harry yelled, but Daphne did not move. Her eyes were wide, and the Riddle-Ginny and the Riddle-Hermione were reflected in them, their hair swirling like flames, their eyes shining red, their voices lifted in an evil duet.

"Daphne... please!" shouted Harry.

It took Daphne all of her willpower to break out of her trance. She turned around and saw the pleading look in Harry's eyes. Something in her snapped.

The sword flashed, plunged; Harry threw himself out of the way, there was a clang of metal and a long, drawn-out scream. Harry whirled around, wand held ready to defend himself; but there was nothing to fight.

The monstrous versions of Ginny and Hermione were gone;

There was only Daphne, standing there with the sword held slackly in her hand, looking down at the shattered remains of the locket in the corner.

(A/N: Another chapter done! A lot of the locket scene is taken from DH. The words emanating from the locket were mentioned in italics rather than content from DH.

What will be Harry's and Daphne's reaction to the locket incident? What will happen when Snape comes face to face with Harry for the first time after Dumbledore's death? Will Ron be able to get through to Hermione? Does Hermione have a plan to find Harry? What role will Dobby play in the war?

Read on to find out. Thank you for reviewing and please continue to do so)


	5. Chapter 5

(A/N: Thanks for all the positive feedback people. Really means a lot. It's the biggest incentive that you can provide to someone like me. Thanks again!)

It had taken all of Daphne's resolve to stop herself from yielding to the Horcrux inside Slytherin's locket. She couldn't control herself any longer. She sunk down to her knees and began to sob uncontrollably.

Harry was stunned. He couldn't believe what he had just witnessed. He saw as Daphne dropped down to her knees and began to cry. He thought about going and comforting her but his feet seemed to have frozen him in place. After a few uncomfortable moments, he finally mustered up the courage and moved down to her.

He put an arm around her to comfort her. She molded into his embrace but still her tears continued to fall.

He put all his emotions into his voice as he said, "You're not alone, Daphne."

This caused her to sob even more. He held on to her more tightly, "You're a friend of mine, Daphne. You always will be. Never even for a moment think that I do not care about you."

Daphne looked up and saw Harry's face. She could see it in his eyes that he was telling the truth. She sniffed, "Thanks Harry. That means a lot to me."

Harry said, "The least that I can do is be there for you. I wouldn't have been alive today if it hadn't been for you."

Daphne smiled a little at this, "I couldn't have let you die, Potter. The Wizarding World would have been pissed off at me for letting their hero die such a stupid death."

Harry laughed at this. Daphne also couldn't help but smile a bit more broadly.

They held on to each other for a few moments. Harry's tone suddenly shifted to a more serious one, "The things that were said by the Riddle in the Horcrux... Do you want to talk about them?"

Daphne replied with a sombre expression, "Not right now, Harry. Maybe some time later. I'll hold you on that offer."

"Anytime. If you ever feel the need to talk about anything, remember that I'm here for you."

She snuggled into his chest to show her appreciation. Harry rested his head on her shoulder. They sat there, both of them enjoying each other's presence but not willing to admit it to the other.

It was in this position that they were found by Severus Snape.

For a moment he was surprised to see Potter sitting so close to his God-daughter. However, he composed himself and walked towards them.

He smirked, "Good Afternoon Daphne, I see that you found Potter."

Both of them looked up at the sound of his voice. Snape saw Daphne's tear-stricken face and the smirk was wiped off his face. He suddenly looked furious. His God-daughter mattered to him more than anyone else in the world right now and if anything had happened to her there would be hell to pay.

He took out his wand and bellowed, "What'd you do to her Potter? You better have a good explanation or I'll tear you apart from limb to limb."

Harry was a little intimidated but also impressed at the same time. He had never seen Snape defend anyone with such ferocity.

Daphne saw the fury on her Godfather's face and immediately moved to intervene, "He didn't do anything, Severus. I can explain everything."

And explain everything she did. Severus's explanation changed from fury to wonder as Daphne explained everything that Harry had been through with or without her. He winced when Daphne explained about The Dark Lord and his Horcruxes. He sat down with his head in his hands when Daphne finished after recounting their destruction of the Horcrux inside Slytherin's locket.

Harry who had remained silent throughout the entire explanation looked at Snape. He knew Snape well enough to realise that it was he who had to make the first move if they had to work together.

He walked up to Snape with his hand stretched and said, "We've both been through a lot in this war. Both of us know now that we're on the same side and we have to work together for things to end in our favour. I propose a truce, Severus."

Snape was surprised, rather stunned to hear Harry refer to him by his first name. He understood that the time for old animosities was in the past. He knew what he had to do

He took Harry's stretched hand and shook it, "I appreciate the offer, Harry. I accept. However, do not expect me to use your first name on a regular basis. It took me a lot of effort to say it right now and I prefer Potter anyways. It has a nice ring to it."

Harry and Daphne both grinned at this.

Daphne in particular was extremely pleased to see that the two men she cared about more than anyone else in the world right now had called a truce. That was half the job done. Now all that was remaining was to destroy the Horcruxes and then Voldemort itself. She knew they would be able to do it. She had just gotten Severus Snape and Harry Potter to call a truce. Compared to what she had just managed, everything else seemed to be a piece of cake.

-------------------

Hermione Granger was not a happy woman.

She hadn't been able to sleep much in the night as she had spent majority of it to try and think up a plan to find Harry. She had managed to come up with nothing.

She had gotten up from her bed early next morning and headed up to the breakfast table. Ron had surprisingly gotten up early in the morning too. When she inquired as to why he had done so, his prompt reply was that it was Christmas and he could not wait to open his presents.

She had looked at him in disdain. He however had continued to devour his breakfast, completely oblivious to the look she was giving him.

After they had finished breakfast, Ron had tried another pathetic attempt to chat up Hermione but she had brushed him off again.

Ginny had then come over to Shell Cottage for Christmas Day. As soon as Ginny had come over she had sought out Hermione. Hermione had then had to endure incessant questioning from Ginny about Harry and his whereabouts. Hermione managed to deflect Ginny's questions to Ron which had led to a heated argument between the youngest Weasley children. They had both stormed out of the room, faces almost as red as their flaming hair.

Hermione was now sitting alone in the living room thinking how life had become so bad for her. She realized that without Harry there was a sort of emptiness about her. She couldn't help but agree with the old adage that said: It's only when you lose someone that you realize their value in your life.

She had managed to screw up her life and it was all because of one wrong decision on her part. She recognized the fact that she could not live without Harry Potter. She had become so used to him that he had become an integral part of her existence itself.

She missed him so much. She missed the way he smiled at her when she found the solution to a potentially difficult problem. She missed the way he looked at her with his brilliantly green eyes. She missed the feel of his chest whenever he hugged her. She missed his well shaped bum which she had always appreciated whenever he walked away after talking to her. Now, wait a minute ... when did she start thinking about Harry's bum? She tried to clear her mind of all the amorous thoughts she was having about Harry's bum. However hard she tried, she couldn't bring herself to do it.

She sighed out aloud and almost broke down into tears again. This wasn't supposed to happen. She was supposed to think of him as a brother. She couldn't possibly be falling for Harry Potter.

--------------------

Everything had settled down at Spinners End. Snape was having lunch which had been prepared by Dobby. He had been a little surprised to see the excited house elf but had not commented on his presence. They were all sitting at the dining table. Harry and Snape had not talked to each other after their silent agreement.

It was Snape who decided to break the ice this time, "I think it's time that we talked, Potter. The information that am about to share with you today might as well be the turning point in this war."

Harry's interest was piqued as Snape began to speak.

"I've been conversing with Dumbledore's portrait since my appointment as Headmaster. He talked to me about various aspects of the war such as the Hallows and the Sword of Gryffindor. He told me the story of the Hallows. I was always under the impression that whenever he went in search of "special objects" as he liked to call them, he was searching for the Hallows so that with their help he could help you to end the war. I was made aware of the entire prophecy soon after I swore allegiance to Dumbledore and the Light side. I kept on insisting that Dumbledore tell you about the prophecy but he didn't want to burden you with that load. I always knew it was a mistake on Dumbledore's part. It wasn't his biggest mistake however."

Harry felt a surge of gratitude towards Snape at this point. He couldn't believe that Severus Snape had protested against Dumbledore on his behalf. He was also intrigued at the same time, what could possibly be a bigger mistake than Dumbledore not informing him about the prophecy?

Snape continued, "As you already might know by now, Dumbledore never even once informed me about the Horcruxes created by the Dark Lord. According to me, this was the biggest mistake that Albus Dumbledore made in his entire life."

Harry was perplexed now. Why would it matter if Snape didn't know about the Horcruxes?

Snape saw the confused look on Harry's face and went on with the tale, "When the Dark Lord was gaining power he had an inner circle of Death Eaters, those whom he believed to be his most loyal and talented supporters. He used to trust us more than any of his other followers. There were three of us: Bellatrix, Lucius and myself. One night, he called us for a meeting and gave each of us a different object. Lucius was given a diary; Bellatrix was given a cup while I was given a diadem. He told us that they were treasures that he had acquired after great difficulty and gave us the responsibility to protect them as well as we can."

Harry was astonished. This was indeed a very vital piece of information. He couldn't control himself and blurted out, "So does that mean the diadem of Ravenclaw is a Horcrux? And you know where it is?"

Severus replied, "As for your first question the answer would be painfully obvious. It's definitely a Horcrux. Also, as your pea sized brain might soon realize, I was the one who hid it so I obviously know where it is."

Harry had the decency to blush. He knew it had been a stupid question.

Daphne saw the look of embarrassment on Harry's face and immediately changed the topic, "So we know where one of the Horcruxes is. But how could we ever come to know where Lestrange hid the cup?"

Snape smirked at this, "Daphne dear, my greatest accomplishment which has helped me get through life is the fact that I am a master Legilimens as well as an Occlumens. Lestrange may be a master at duelling but her mind defences were the worst I had ever seen.

He couldn't help but add, "That was of course until I met Potter."

Harry's face reddened considerably.

Snape smirked inwardly and continued, "It didn't take me long to figure out that she had chosen to hide the Horcrux at the most convenient and safe location in Magical Britain. The Cup is hidden in her vault at Gringotts."

"I also know that Lucius hid the diary in his secret chamber at Malfoy Manor. That was of course until he chose to release the little terror on a school of unsuspecting children and Potter destroyed it. "

"As for me, I hid the diadem at a place where I felt the most comfortable in my school days. I believed that I was only one to find this particular place and I was proud of that fact. This was obviously until Potter found the place in his Fifth Year. As I can see by the look on Potter's face, he now knows that the diadem is hidden in the Room of Hidden Things which is more popularly known as the Room of Requirement."

Harry stared at Snape in shock. His shock was mirrored on Daphne's face as well as she took in the information provided by her Godfather.

Severus Snape had just provided them the locations of Voldemort's Horcruxes on a platter.

Harry was amazed He still had a question though, "But what about the ring and the locket? Why didn't he give them to anyone?"

Snape replied, "I think The Dark Lord decided to hide those particular objects himself. He must've had a stronger attachment to them as they belonged to his ancestor Salazar Slytherin. Also, in case his followers failed to protect the objects given to them, he would still have control over the pieces that he had hidden himself. It was one of the reasons that the Dark Lord became as strong as he is now, he never put all his eggs into one basket."

"I also distinctly remember him summoning Regulus to his chambers after we had left. Maybe that's when he asked for Kreacher to be made to accompany him to the cave."

Harry still couldn't get over his shock. His shock however soon turned to anger – anger because of what Dumbledore had done.

He remarked, "So many lives lost and that too just because of Dumbledore and his persistent habit of keeping secrets."

Snape nodded in agreement, "It's one of those rare times that I agree with you Potter. I think this whole Dark Lord business seemed like a game to him. Needless to say, he didn't play it very well."

"However, what's done is done now. We have to move forward rather than get angry about someone who is not even in the waking world. We need to end this once and for all."

Harry couldn't help but agree. The time had come.

The endgame approached and Harry Potter was all set to upgrade his level from the Boy Who Lived to the Man Who Conquered.

(A/N: The story is picking up pace now. If you find that the angst is too much or that the pace of the story is too quick then let me know. Constructive criticism is always welcomed. I, for one found that the seventh book by J. to be a bit stretched. My story won't be too long.

I picked up the concept of distributing the objects amongst the inner circle from a fanfic that I read: _Harry Potter and the Oroborus Light_. It's a good read: H/Hr shippers will surely like it.

I have also decided to try my hand at a short story based on Potter being sent to Azkaban. It features the usual Dark and Powerful Harry Potter who's been betrayed by the Wizarding world. However, I intend to take his darkness up a notch. He'll be accompanied by none other than your very own 'Ice Princess'. I'll be putting it up soon. Have a look at it if you feel like it.

Finally, I have the usual request. Please review guys! )


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

He thought he had won her when she had walked out with him. He thought that Franklin Filibuster's _"Twelve Fail-Safe ways to charm Witches"_ had worked its magic. He thought it was a matter of time before he got into her pants. However, things had not really gone his way. Rather than putting out as he was expecting her to, she flat out refused to even converse with him. She had even stopped acknowledging his existence nowadays. They had sat in the same room today for more than a couple of hours and she hadn't even bothered to look at him once.

This sequence of events had left Ronald Bilius Weasley very frustrated. He thus decided to follow the only motto for frustrated people: Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Tonight was the night he would get closer to Hermione Granger. He would sleep in her bed tonight. He knew that he had to be a bit patient before he could have his way with her but also that this was a good enough start.

It had taken him a lot of effort to stay up this late but the idea that he would soon feel Hermione's body next to him in a few hours had led him to manage somehow.

It was 3 am in the night when he crept up to her room. He was surprised to find light coming out from under her bedroom door. This left him more than a little surprised. What could she possibly be doing up at this late hour?

He grinned to himself. If she was awake, it was all the more better. He wouldn't have to go through the trouble of waking her up.

He had put a lot of thought into his plan. His reasoning was that as she provided sympathy and comfort for Harry in case the same thing happened then she would most definitely do it for him too.

He decided to put his plan into action.

He had practiced the look of shock many times in front of the mirror before stepping out of his room. He had even decided that a tear-stricken face would not harm his cause. So, it was with a shocked look and his eyes red with tears that Ronald Weasley burst into Hermione Granger's room.

--------------------

Hermione Granger was having the worst day of her life. The realization that she had fallen for her best friend hadn't really gone down well with her. She had spent majority of Christmas day in denial and it hadn't helped even one bit. Harry Potter's absence had caused her to fall head over heels in love with him.

As denial hadn't worked, she had shifted to justifying her feelings towards Harry. She had reasoned that it wasn't really surprising after nearly seven years of friendship that she had fallen for him. She also realized that she had always had feelings for Harry at the back of her mind and that her feelings for him as a brother had prevented the amorous ones from coming to the fore.

She couldn't stop thinking about him now and she had finally given in.

As soon as she had admitted her feelings to herself, she had doubled her efforts to try and find Harry Potter. Obviously, she had turned to her favourite source: Books. She had read more than half the books available in Shell Cottage. Bill did own a decent collection. However, her efforts had still come to nothing.

This had left her very irritated. An irritated Hermione Granger was not someone that you wanted to mess with.

It was while she was going through another one of Bill's books and her irritation was at its peak that Ronald Weasley barged into her room at 3 am in the night.

She sat up in her bed, stunned at his arrival. She recovered from her shock and immediately snapped at him, "What the hell are you doing here, Ron? Do you know what time it is?"

Ron was a good actor or atleast he thought he was. He stammered, "Oh...oh Hermione, Thank Merlin you're safe. I had such a bad dream. I dreamt that You-Know-Who used the Avada Kedavra on you. I had to come and check up on you."

His hopes arose when he saw her look at his face which was the perfect amount of red mingled with tears. He decided to add a little more drama, "I'm sorry Hermione. I shouldn't have disturbed you."

She just stared back at him. He couldn't judge her feelings from her face which was impassive.

Before he could stop himself he ended up asking her, "What are you doing up so late anyways?"

She retorted, "None of your damn business, Ronald. Now, as you can see that am perfectly fine, could you please go back to your room and leave me alone?"

Ron was taken aback. This wasn't how his plan was supposed to go. She should've been comforting him by now and asking him to stay in her room for the rest of the night. She would've done it for Harry, he was sure about that. His streak of jealousy started rearing its ugly head again.

He decided to give it one last try, "I am so scared, Hermione. Could I please stay the night here? I will not disturb you."

She snapped at him again, "Have you lost it, Ronald? There is only one bed here and there is no way in hell that I am spending the rest of the night on the same bed as you. You're not a kid. Go back to your room."

She added, "And now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do."

Ron finally lost his patience, "What is so important Hermione, that you do not have time to comfort a friend?"

"This has something to do with Harry, doesn't it?" he couldn't keep the bitterness out of his voice.

He had gone ahead and done it. He had managed to completely piss off an already frustrated Hermione.

She almost shouted, "As I said before, what I do is none of your business. And what do you care if it has something to do with Harry or not? It's not as if you care for him anyways. You're just a jealous prat, Ronald Weasley. Now get out of here, before I hex your arse into oblivion."

Although he did possess the emotional range of a teaspoon, Ronald Weasley did have the sense to realize that he had been licked.

His plan had failed. He slinked away from her room without uttering another word.

As he was about to close the door behind him, he heard her say, "Next time you decide to try and pull another one of your stupid acts to get my attention, Ronald, it would serve you well to remember one thing: They call me the smartest young witch of this generation for a reason."

----------------

Everyone had decided to rest in their own rooms prior to Christmas dinner at Spinners End. When they all got down to the dining room in the evening, they had a surprise waiting for them. Dobby had decorated the place for Christmas. It almost looked like a proper home now.

Daphne was elated when she saw it. Harry appreciated it and thanked Dobby for the work he had put in. Snape just grunted, but the others did not miss the small smile playing on his lips.

They all sat down to a lavish dinner prepared by Dobby. They all ate with much gusto and complimented Dobby on his excellent cooking.

After dinner, they all sat and listened to music on the Wizarding wireless. Although he wouldn't admit it, even Snape was enjoying himself.

For the first time, Daphne felt at home in this place. She turned around to look at Harry who had closed his eyes and was enjoying listening to the music.

For the umpteenth time in the day, she appreciated the fact that Harry Potter had turned her life around. Just one act of kindness had helped her get such a good friend.

Her life also had a purpose now. She intended to see her friend through right till the end of Voldemort, even if she lost her life in the process. But could she even dream of life after the war?

Harry was so noble, so brave, so intelligent and quite clearly sexy as hell. She also knew that majority of the boys in Hogwarts had lusted after her. She would most certainly put herself in the 'hot' category. But was she good enough for Harry? She couldn't help but wonder whether Harry would ever look at her as more than an ally in the war.

Unknown to Daphne, Severus was watching her while she looked at Harry. Snape knew his God-daughter well enough to be able to almost read her like a book now. He saw the look of longing in her eyes when she saw Harry. He had actually observed it for the entire day whenever they had come in contact with each other. He had also seen Potter look at her with admiration and could tell that he liked her as well. He just wasn't sure if Harry liked her as just friends or more.

He was slightly confused now. He could either play the protective Godfather or he could choose to be Daphne's friend as he had been all these years and help her get what she wanted.

Harry and Daphne both got up. They had each finished their respective butterbeers and headed into the kitchen to get more. Snape knew that this was the moment. He had to make a decision and quick. He made his choice and did what he hoped would be the right thing in the longer term.

Both Harry and Daphne walked towards the kitchen. As they walked towards the kitchen door, Daphne looked up at the top of the kitchen door and her insides went dry. She wondered if he had noticed and would he react to it.

Harry most certainly had noticed. It was pretty hard to miss. He knew he had to act.

He stopped Daphne at the door, took her face in his hands and whispered, "Mistletoe."

With that he leaned in and softly brushed his lips against hers. Harry didn't deepen the kiss but just kept his lips on Daphne's for a longer time than was necessary.

Daphne wasn't going to stop him obviously. She was in seventh heaven right now and definitely enjoying it. Harry Potter had just kissed her. This was her first ever kiss on the lips and she couldn't think of a person more befitting to do it.

With a sigh, Harry withdrew his lips from hers. He spoke softly, "Merry Christmas, Daphne."

She moved in to peck him on the cheek and said, "Merry Christmas to you too, Harry."

With that both of them smiled awkwardly at each other and moved into the kitchen to collect their butterbeers.

When Snape saw them walking back into the sitting room with goofy grins on both their faces, he knew that his idea of conjuring the mistletoe had worked.

He smiled to himself. He had helped them take the first step, now how they went ahead was totally upto them.

(A/N: A chapter based more on the feelings of the major characters. I thought that we could take a break from all the drama regarding the Horcruxes for one chapter atleast.

Just so you know, Ron bashing is my favourite sport. I detest his character in the books and the part that he got together with Hermione even after treating her so badly. If you like Ron, I'll not advise you to read any of my stories.

Once again ... Thanks for the reviews! And puhlease keep them coming in!

P.S: For those who are interested, I have also uploaded Chapter 3 of my other story which is titled 'The Prisoners of Azkaban'.)


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Daphne Greengrass had slept very peacefully. When she got up a little early, she was very relaxed. She remembered that she had enjoyed the best Christmas of her life yesterday. She had almost felt as if she belonged to a family. And kissing Harry had obviously been an added and very pleasing bonus.

She was lost in her own wonderland when the reality of the situation hit her like a troll's club. For a moment there, she had forgotten that they were in a war. It was time they got down to work again. They knew the location of the Horcruxes and now it was the time to destroy them.

She went down and sat on the couch in the living room. She knew that the Horcrux at Gringotts would be the more difficult one to get too. She started thinking about ways and means to get it. She had been sorted into Slytherin for a reason: Her cunning mind soon came up with a plan. A simple plan that should work if executed correctly. She sat there fine-tuning the details of what she had come up with so that she could tell Harry and Severus about it.

It was while she was thinking that Harry came down. Harry saw that Daphne was deep in thought. A grin came across his face as he remembered the feel of her lips on his. It had been a chaste kiss last night, but a wonderful one nonetheless.

While, both Harry and Daphne were lost in different thoughts, Severus walked into the room. He saw the weird grin on Harry's face as he looked at Daphne and smirked to himself. He was however perplexed by the look of deep concentration on Daphne's face.

He drawled, "Good Morning, Daphne. What are you thinking about, little one?"

Both Daphne and Harry came out of their respective trances as his voice broke the silence.

Daphne replied, "Good Morning to you too, Severus. The answer to your question would be the Horcruxes. I was thinking about the cup in particular."

The grin on Harry's face vanished as he heard this. A hardened look came on his face and he asked, "What about it?"

"I was thinking about a way to get it out of Bellatrix's vault."

Harry assumed. "I guess you're thinking of a way to break into Gringotts. It's going to be difficult but we're going to have to do it. Maybe we can use a bit of Polyjuice Potion. We'll need to get hold of Lestrange's hair. Maybe Severus can help us with that part."

Daphne smiled. This was so typical of Harry, "Seriously, Harry. You have almost lost your life on numerous occasions due to your typical 'Brave Gryffindor' attitude. Do you really want to risk it all again when an easier and safer way might be available?"

Harry was a little intrigued now. He couldn't help but question her, "But there has to be a safer way present, doesn't it? I spent a lot of time thinking about it last night and I couldn't think up any other possible way."

Severus who had stayed quiet so far interrupted, "You should get something for that thick skull of yours, Potter. You're not the only one with a mind here, you know? The rest of us can think a little too. It's pretty obvious that Daphne has a plan and I for one can't wait to hear it."

Harry's face reddened and he mumbled an apology to Daphne.

Daphne saw the apologetic look on Harry's face and told him not to worry about it.

After a few awkward moments, Daphne was the one to break the silence. She turned to Harry and asked, "What do you know about Goblins, Harry?"

Harry wasn't really aware of much. He said, "They can be rather nasty if you cross paths with them. They even possess very advanced magic. Also, they are not really up to the mark in the looks department."

Daphne grinned at the last part, "You pretty much got the basics right, Harry. However, you missed one rather important point."

Harry wondered what he had missed out on.

Daphne continued, "There's a reason why Wizards tend not to trust Goblins. It's because they are suckers for Gold. They'll sell anything in exchange for Gold. Absolutely anything."

Harry couldn't help but ask, "But what good does that do to us? It's not as if we have the gold to bribe them or something."

Daphne couldn't believe Harry naivety, "But we do have Gold, Harry. Am not sure how much but it sure will be enough to bribe them to hand over the cup to us."

Harry insisted, "I'm sorry to say this Daphne but I cannot take your family Gold. I don't think I'll be able to pay you back."

Daphne grinned now, "You surely are daft aren't you, Harry?"

Snape nodded his head vigorously at this statement.

Daphne's grin broadened and she continued, "The entire concept of the Potter and Black heir not being able to pay a Greengrass back is absurd. Actually, the very idea of a Potter borrowing Gold from a Greengrass is laughable. "

Harry was confused now, "What do you mean?"

Before Daphne could reply, Snape saw another opportunity to embarrass Harry and intervened, "Isn't it bleeding obvious, Potter? Your obvious lack of knowledge about the Wizarding World is understandable. However, not knowing about your own heritage is just plain stupid on your part. With your inheritances from the Potter and Black families, you are without a shade of a doubt the richest wizard in magical Britain."

Harry grunted. He almost laughed when he said, "You're surely mistaken, both of you. I've seen my vault at Gringotts and it doesn't really have as much money as you think. As for the inheritance from Sirius, Dumbledore informed me that it was just a little gold and Grimmauld Place."

Snape's smirk grew wider, "A little gold? Well, even If Dumbledore believes that millions of Galleons count as a little gold in the Wizarding World, he'll still be way off the mark. The Blacks were the most ancient pureblood family in Magical Britain and you Potter, have inherited all their assets as well as their Gold."

Daphne explained further after Severus just stood still for a few seconds enjoying the look of shock of Harry's face, "And your vault must've been your Educational Trust vault, Harry. When a wizard comes of age he gets access to the Family vaults unless otherwise specified. The Potter's were equivalent to the Blacks in terms of social standing and various assets. You're of age now, Harry and if rumours are to be believed, the Potter's have three Family vaults which can now be accessed by you."

Daphne knew it was time for the punchline. She went ahead and said it, "I am not exaggerating when I say this: If you wished to, with your money you could almost buy the entire Goblin Race."

Harry was flabbergasted. He just sat there on the couch unable to move even an inch. The information provided by both Severus and Daphne still hadn't sunk in. How could he possibly be the richest wizard in Britain and not even know about it?

Daphne got up and sat next to Harry. She put her arm around his shoulders and spoke softly, "I can see from your reaction that you were unaware of any of this till now, Harry. This isn't the way things should've panned out for you. You should've known. I'm so sorry."

Harry turned around to look at her. Her face showed compassion like he had never seen before. His heart melted at the sight.

He knew he had to be stronger than this if he had to win over Voldemort. And at that moment he also knew another thing: The woman sitting next to him would help him gather that strength. He knew that with her by his side, he could do it.

He leaned in and hugged her. She returned the hug, being as gentle as she possibly could. They held on to each other, both experiencing a 'special' kind of feeling that they had never felt before.

Severus sat there watching the whole scenario unfold before him. He didn't say or do anything. However, inside the cold exterior there was a knowing smile. He was happy that it was another step for both Harry and Daphne in the right direction.

After a little while, there was a loud pop. Both Harry and Daphne simultaneously broke the embrace to see what had caused the noise.

It was Dobby. He announced that breakfast was ready and that they should head to the table. They all complied and ate the meal in silence.

After finishing breakfast and taking their respective baths, they soon found themselves in the sitting room again.

Severus announced he needed to go back to Hogwarts as he had some important work to do. He said that he'll be back in the evening and will try to bring the diadem back with him. He gave some instructions to Daphne in private and then using the floo, returned to the Headmaster's Office at Hogwarts.

Harry and Daphne sat there in awkward silence for a few moments. Daphne, however soon spoke up, "I think we need to plan about how we are going to approach the Goblins. The only issue that I think we might face is setting up a meeting with the Goblins. It'd be very difficult to get to the bank undetected."

Harry smiled when he heard Daphne say this. He had a plan, "I don't think we need to go to Gringotts at all before setting up a time to meet. We just need to send them a letter requesting a meeting. And as for getting in undetected, that'll be taken care of."

Daphne was the one who was confused this time, "But how could we send them a letter? What if it gets intercepted?"

Harry's smile widened, "Because we are going to use speed post, Daphne. We're going to use the fastest and most reliable mode of communication. We're also going to use the same trick to get into the bank undetected."

Harry smirked a bit at Daphne's confused face and he finished with, "We're going to use Dobby."

A look of realization dawned on Daphne's face. Suddenly, the entire idea seemed far more feasible that it was a few seconds back. It was a simple and perfect plan. Now, it was the time to execute it.

She beamed at Harry, "Well then genius, what are we waiting for? Time to write the letter, don't you think?"

Harry grinned back at her and went off to fetch the parchment. They soon sat down to write the letter, a letter that was going to play a major part in the destruction of one of the pieces of Voldemort's soul.

--------------------

Severus Snape dusted himself off and stood up straight in the Headmaster's Office. He knew that before anything else, he needed to do a very important thing.

With that he went up to Dumbledore's words and spoke quite harshly, "We need to talk."

Dumbledore's eyes we twinkling merrily as he failed to detect the harshness in Severus's tone, "Sure Severus. And what may this be about?"

Severus continued in an icy tone, "You and your pathetic little habit of keeping secrets, Albus."

Dumbledore's face in the portrait constantly changed expressions as Snape related everything that had happened in the past two days.

At the end of it, Dumbledore's image was almost in tears. He knew that the only thing that he could do was apologize, "I'm so sorry that I didn't trust you enough, Severus. I always thought that with your history of working for the Dark side, you'll be tempted when you hear about the Horcruxes. I misunderstood you and I'm very sorry for that.

"I was always of the opinion that I had the perfect plan to go about things and whatever I was doing was for the Greater Good. It was my own over-confidence in my ability that led me to believe that I could handle the situation on my own, without any help from the others."

Dumbledore almost begged now, "Forgive me please, Severus. I know that I've hurt you and the Wizarding World on the whole. The mistakes I've made may be unpardonable but I won't be able to rest peacefully until I have your forgiveness. Can you bring yourself to give it to me?"

Severus stared back at Dumbledore's portrait in silence. It was after a few moments that he said, "You're right, Albus. Your mistakes are definitely unpardonable. However, the good that you have done for the Wizarding world outweighs the bad by a small extent. Also, considering that you were doing everything that you were doing with the best intentions at heart, I cannot help but forgive you. However, today you've lost my respect, Albus. I don't think you'll ever have it back."

Dumbledore's face visibly relaxed as he said, "I thank you, Severus. Your forgiveness is all that I can ask for. However, there is another thing that I want you to know. It's my last and the most well kept secret."

A look of dread crossed over Severus's face when he heard Dumbledore say this. He was sure that this was not going to be good.

Dumbledore went ahead and let it all out, "On the night Lord Voldemort tried to kill him, when Lily cast her own life between them as a shield, the Killing Curse rebounded upon Lord Voldemort, and a fragment of Voldemort's soul was blasted apart from the whole, and latched itself onto the only living soul left in that collapsed building. Part of Lord Voldemort lives inside Harry, and it is that which gives him the power of speech with snakes, and a connection with Lord Voldemort's mind that he has never understood."

Dumbledore summed it up when he said, "The scar on Harry's forehead is a Horcrux, Severus. In order to bring about the complete destruction of Voldemort, Harry Potter has to die."

(A/N: What'd you think of it? I am not the greatest fan of Dumbledore but I don't hate him either. Thus, I got Severus to forgive him.

Also, what's your opinion about bribing the Goblins? I always thought that they were a little underused in JKR's books. They are intelligent, powerful and rather nasty creatures who need a bigger role, don't you think?

You might have noticed that Dumbledore's portrait used Voldemort's name rather frequently. The Taboo obviously does not apply to portraits.

Finally, it would be awesome to see more reviews out there... Please review Guys!)


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The letter was finished. They had tried to make it as formal as possible just so that they didn't offend the Goblins in any way. It read:

_Resp. Head of the Gringotts Bank,_

_I would like to request a meeting with yours truly as soon as you would find the time. I would also request you to not inform anybody of the time and place of this meeting. The purpose of this meeting is not something I can discuss in a letter and would like to talk to you face to face about it._

_With all due respect, it's rather an urgent matter that I meet with you. I hope for a positive response with my messenger who brings you this letter. _

_Your loyal customer,_

_Harry James Potter_

Both Harry and Daphne re-read the letter and thought that it covered the main points pretty well. Daphne was also of the opinion that the due to Harry's status and wealth, the Goblins would most likely immediately respond to the letter.

They put the letter in an envelope and labelled it CONFIDENTIAL just to be sure that it was read by the Head only.

Harry then summoned Dobby to the sitting room. He asked him to deliver the letter to the Head of Gringotts and get a response. Dobby was only too happy to comply. With a pop he was gone.

Harry and Daphne sat waiting for a response. The awkward silence between them had seemed to disappear. They started discussing their time at Hogwarts.

Daphne couldn't believe that the Sorting Hat had wanted to put Harry into Slytherin. In her mind she was using the vilest profanities for Draco Malfoy for making Harry dislike Slytherin. She was sure that her and Harry would have gotten along famously if they had spent the last six years in the same house. They had grown so close to each other in the last three days. She couldn't help but wonder about what might have been if they knew each other for a longer period of time.

Daphne told Harry about how Tracey Davies was the only real friend she had for the last six and a half years. Even Tracey had had become somehow distant from her since Dumbledore's death. Tracey had known that Severus was her Godfather and her family didn't want her to associate with the God-daughter of an alleged murderer. Although, she didn't really blame Tracey for following her family's orders, she couldn't help but feel a bit betrayed.

Harry only knew the feeling too well after Ron and Hermione's disappearing act. Although he never talked about them, Daphne could see from his face that he very hurt that his best friends had decided to abandon him when he needed them the most.

Harry's noble nature had shone through when he had comforted Daphne regarding Tracey even though he himself had a lot on his mind. Anybody else would have retreated into their shell, but not Harry. Daphne had really appreciated his kindness.

Harry then started telling Daphne about his adventures at Hogwarts. He was about to finish telling her about the Philosophers Stone when Dobby popped in back from his visit to Gringotts.

Harry saw that Dobby was holding a letter in his hand. Dobby handed it over to Harry, bowed down low and disappeared back to the kitchen.

Harry soon tore the envelope and opened the letter while Daphne looked on expectantly. He read:

_Resp. Lord Potter,_

_It is our honour to have been contacted by one of our most valued customers. We'd be only too glad to arrange a meeting time. As you mentioned in your letter that it was urgent that we meet, I have arranged to keep myself unoccupied at 2 PM this afternoon. I hope that the time suits you too. _

_You can be rest assured that the meeting will be held in the strictest of confidences. I'll personally see to the security of the meeting place._

_Hoping to meet with you at the arranged time,_

_Yours faithfully,_

_Ragnok,_

_Head of Gringotts Bank_

Harry glanced at the clock in the room. The current time was 1 PM. He had only one hour to get ready for the meeting.

Daphne had an 'I told you so' look on her face as she said with a sly grin, "I knew they'd be only too willing to meet with their biggest customer. After all, who doesn't have time for the Boy-who-Lived and who also happens to be the richest wizard in Britain."

Harry got the distinct feeling that she was flirting with him. Before he could respond, her businesslike tone returned as she said, "I think we should start getting prepared."

Snape had told Daphne to teach Harry a little about Goblin customs and traditions before they got to the bank. As Daphne came from an ancient pureblood family, her father had seen to it that she was aware about the traditions of the various races.

They spent the next half an hour with Daphne giving Harry pointers about how to behave with the Goblins. With that done, they soon went up to their rooms to get ready.

Harry had tried to talk Daphne about letting him go alone but she wouldn't listen and insisted that she come. She had told Harry in very simple words that it was time for him to stop playing the hero and start accepting help from others.

They had both dressed up and appeared in the sitting room. They checked the clock and saw that it was nearing 2 PM.

Harry summoned Dobby and asked him, "Dobby, we need to go meet the Head of Gringotts. Can you take us there?"

Dobby answered without any hesitation, "Dobby can take you to his office without any problem, sir. However, Dobby is only being powerful enough to take one person at a time."

Harry nodded. He was the first one to leave with Dobby and he then he sent Dobby back to get Daphne. Harry found himself in a very spacious room covered with white marble. He saw a Goblin to be sitting on a desk in front of him. He was about to greet the Goblin when Daphne appeared next to him with Dobby. Dobby let go of Daphne and disappeared with a pop.

The Goblin looked up and saw both Harry and Daphne standing there. He gave Harry another look and then noticed is scar. He jumped up from his desk and went to greet them.

As the Goblin approached came and stood in front of them, both Harry and Daphne bowed down in front of him. Harry was the one who said, "Greetings, Lord Ragnok, Head of Gringotts Bank and the Goblin Nation. I, Harry James Potter and my companion Daphne Alyssa Greengrass bow down at your service."

Ragnok was a little surprised at the respect being shown to him. Rarely, had a wizard of such stature shown him any respect.

He responded in kind, "Greetings, Lord Potter and Miss Greengrass. I appreciate your actions and request you to accompany me to my desk so we can discuss the reason of your visit."

Harry and Daphne both stood up straight and followed Ragnok to his desk. Both of them sat in different chairs in front of Ragnok.

Ragnok was the one who started the discussion, "Lord Potter, may I know the reason of your visit?"

Harry replied respectfully, "There are a couple of reasons for my visit here today. Firstly, I want to know the extent of my current wealth and estates. The second reason is extremely confidential and I hope I can expect complete privacy when we discuss it."

Ragnok nodded, "You may be rest assured that the meeting going on currently wouldn't be known to any outsiders. The Goblins at Gringotts value the privacy of one of their most valued customers."

The Goblin continued, "The Goblins have been investing the Potter Gold from decades. We're pleased to inform you that your current estate in 7 times the size of your original estate. Your Educational Trust Vault currently contains a total of 800,000 Galleons. The three of the Potter family vaults currently contain 46 Million Galleons. You also own a number of artifacts and 23 residential properties around the world. The Black Properties which you have also inherited amount to 67 Million Galleons and 14 properties. The Black vaults also contain certain artifacts."

Harry was looking at Ragnok with a dazed expression on his face as he heard the Goblin specify his properties in detail. Even Daphne had a look of amazement on her face. This was much more than she had earlier predicted to Harry.

The Goblin then summed it up, "At last count, your current worth is 114 Million Galleons, Twelve Sickles and Fifteen Knuts. You're also the proud owner of 37 residential properties and a number of priceless artifacts."

Harry was about to faint when he heard Ragnok say this. He probably would've if Daphne hadn't pinched him on the arm. He managed to shake himself up and got a little of his composure back.

Ragnok was looking at him with a small grin on his face. He knew that the boy wasn't aware of the extent of his wealth until today.

He spoke up again, "Can I hear the second reason of your visit now, Lord Potter?"

Daphne seeing that Harry wasn't in a state to explain decided to do so herself, "Lord Ragnok, we have reason to believe that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has hidden a very dark artifact in one of your customers vaults. Till we destroy this artifact, he cannot be defeated. We'd like your help in this matter."

Whatever Ragnok had been expecting, it wasn't this. He suddenly fell into deep thought.

After having some time to think he asked Daphne, "Are you sure this is the case, Miss Greengrass? I wouldn't have even thought about helping you withdraw something from someone else's vault, if you hadn't mentioned that it was related to the eventual downfall of Lord Voldemort. I am not sure what to do now."

Daphne looked at the Goblin in shock. She asked him, "You just used his name. The taboo-"

The Goblin interrupted her, "The taboo doesn't work in Gringotts, Miss Greengrass. The ancient wards on this place prevent any sort of taboo from working. Even the trace on underage wizards fails to work here."

Daphne visibly relaxed. Harry who had finally regained his bearings spoke up,

"Yes, we are sure about the artifact being important in relation to Voldemort's downfall. We would really like your help and would even compensate you for whatever help you provide us."

Ragnok had sensed in Harry's tone that he was ready to offer a substantial amount of Gold as compensation for the artifact.

He thought again for a minute, made his decision and proclaimed,

"I, as the Head of the Gringotts Back have decided to withdraw the artifact from our customer's vault as it is related to the downfall of Lord Voldemort. I completely support your cause, Lord Potter, and have thus decided to help you. We at Gringotts have made a substantial amount of money from our share of the investments made using the Potter wealth. Thus, I respectfully decline your offer of compensation for a good cause."

Harry and Daphne were both surprised to hear this. It was very rare that a Goblin showed such sincerity.

Ragnok continued, "However, as a sign of goodwill, we would request you to sign a contract that states that at any time 80 percent or more of your wealth at that time would be kept at Gringotts. This is solely because we would like to continue investing the Potter wealth and increase its value even more, with us obviously earning our share of the investments."

Daphne was impressed at the cunning shown by the Head of Gringotts. He had avoided taking 'compensation' and still managed to assure that the Goblins earned a hefty sum for a number of years to come.

Even Harry had managed to read between the lines. However, he was only too glad to oblige as he had no intention of withdrawing his gold from Gringotts.

It was just a matter of time before Ragnok had prepared the contract and Harry had signed it after going over it a couple of times.

Ragnok asked, "Now, Lord Potter, if you'd please tell me the owner of the vault and the object which you need I'll personally go and fetch it for you."

Harry replied, "The vault belongs to Bellatrix Lestrange and the object is a cup with a badger on it, also known as Helga Hufflepuff's cup."

Ragnok was a little surprised at the mention of Hufflepuff's Cup but he didn't show it. He gave both Harry and Daphne a curt nod and then disappeared out of the door locking them inside.

Harry and Daphne waited for nearly an hour. They were starting to get a little suspicious when suddenly the door opened and Ragnok walked in holding the cup and looking a little bedraggled.

He apologised, "I am sorry for the delay, Lord Potter and Miss Greengrass. It seems as if you were right about the cup. It was protected with many dark enchantments which took me a long time to get past."

He handed the cup over to Harry. Harry smiled at him and apologised for the inconvenience caused to him in getting the cup.

Ragnok told him that it was his pleasure to help in a little way towards Lord Voldemort's downfall.

Soon both Harry and Daphne got up from the desk, shook hands with Ragnok and thanked him. Harry summoned Dobby and he appeared with a pop.

This time Daphne went alongwith Dobby first and then Harry followed. Within seconds both of them were back at Spinners End

They set the cup down on the table and wasted no time in fetching the sword of Gryffindor. This time Harry decided to stab the cup remembering what had happened to Daphne last time.

He raised the sword and before the cup could react in any way, he stabbed it. The same evil scream had emerged again, but after a few seconds there was silence in the room and the cup lay at Harry's feet, broken into two pieces.

Harry looked at Daphne and gave her a small smile. She beamed back at him and exclaimed, "Another Horcrux down, Harry!"

With that she ran upto him and engulfed him in a hug. Harry hugged her back with equal enthusiasm enjoying the feel of her body on his.

They both withdrew from the hug and the green and blue eyes locked into each other. Almost simultaneously they leant in and their lips touched. This wasn't a chaste kiss like the one under the mistletoe. Both of them knew it was the real thing.

They deepened the kiss and soon Harry's tongue flicked Daphne's lips asking for entrance. Daphne opened her mouth only too happy to comply.

As their tongues wrestled for dominance, both of them felt passion beyond measure. It was something they had never felt before. Both Daphne and Harry were a little out of breath but none of them was willing to withdraw from the kiss.

They finally gave in and separated from each other so that both of them could breathe. They were both gasping for breath and had equally goofy grins on their faces.

As they looked at each other, both of them realized that today their lives had just taken a turn for the better, and that the 'better' part had nothing to do with the piece of Voldemort's soul they had just destroyed.

(A/N: Yes people, my twisted little mind has finally decided on the pairing.

Sorry Hermione fans but I just couldn't see her and Harry happening. Still haven't decided what to do with her but will come up with something soon enough.

As for Ginny, she never ever had a chance with Harry. I don't think she has done anything at all to deserve to be with him.

A question: Should I update the pairing on the site or keep it as a surprise for new readers? Please do let me know.

Finally, I would like to thank the reviewer who gave me the idea of the taboo not working due to ancient wards. I have incorporated it in this chapter as you may have read.

Thanks for all the reviews till now and I sure hope that you don't stop them coming in!)


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Daphne was ecstatic with what had just happened. She just kept staring at Harry's face, unable of any coherent speech.

Then she heard Harry speaking in a soft voice, "Oh Merlin. That was just... amazing."

It took all of her willpower to stop herself from jumping into his arms and snogging him senseless again.

She continued to stare at his face however, unable to take her eyes off those lips which had been on hers just a few moments back.

After a few seconds of staring, her practical side caught up with her. She knew that they needed to talk before she could do something like that with him again. She finally found her voice,

"Harry, I must admit that I enjoyed kissing you, _a lot_. However, I can't help but wonder as to what does this mean for us."

Harry didn't know what to say. After looking blankly at Daphne for a little while, he decided that it was time for him to do something he had rarely done before. It was time for him to verbalize his feelings,

"I really don't know what this means for us, Daphne. However, what I do know is that I would really like to do that with you again. I also know that ever since we had that kiss under the mistletoe, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. And finally, I know that I really like spending time with you and find you rather intelligent, beautiful and -"

Before Harry could finish what he was saying, he felt Daphne's body pressed up against his. Soon her lips captured his. This time the kiss was slower, as both of them enjoyed exploring each and every inch of each other's lips.

Daphne was extremely happy with what Harry had said. He had put out his feelings for her so well and that was enough to earn him another kiss.

Soon, they broke off the kiss, out of breath once again and stared hungrily at each other again. As Harry looked at Daphne's shining face he knew what he had to do.

He looked into her beautiful blue eyes and said, "Daphne Greengrass, I know this is short notice, but this is something that I have to do. Although we have only known each other properly for three days, whenever I spend time with you, I feel as if I've known you for years."

Daphne smiled at him and this encouraged him to continue.

He went on, "What I am trying to say is that... I like you a lot, Daphne. I want to know if we can make a relationship work between us. Once this bloody war is over, will you go out with me?"

Daphne was shocked and deliriously happy at the same time. She hadn't expected Harry to ask her out so soon. However, she knew at the back of her mind that she was beyond caring.

She gave him a wide smile and said, "Yes Harry, I'd love to go out with you."

Harry's face broke into a relieved smile. He grinned at her and asked, "Well then, what about before the war? How are we supposed to behave until then?"

Daphne pretended to be in deep thought for a minute before saying, "Hmmm... We can stay friends I suppose."

To say that Harry was surprised was an understatement. He stared at her with a confused look before letting out a muffled, "What?!"

Daphne's face broke into a huge grin. She knew she had gotten one over him, "Relax Harry, I was only kidding. Before the war, I think we should get to know each other better. And if you behave, maybe we can do the other stuff boyfriends and girlfriends do."

She gave him a saucy wink at the end which made him shiver. He gave Daphne a big warm smile to show his appreciation, before leaning in to kiss her again.

Again, Daphne was only too happy to comply.

-----------

Severus Snape was extremely frustrated with the way his day had gone after he had come back to Hogwarts.

Firstly, he had approached Albus Dumbledore's portrait to give it a piece of his mind about what he liked to call 'Dumbledore's pathetic little habit of keeping secrets.'

He had succeeded in making the Albus Dumbledore inside the portrait burst into tears, which had satisfied him to a great extent. However, Dumbledore's stupid games had been far from over. He had proceeded to tell Snape, his last and most dirty secret. Snape had heard in shock as Dumbledore told him that Harry carried a piece of Voldemort's soul inside him, and that for the complete destruction of Voldemort, Harry Potter had to die.

His fury had known no bounds when he had heard Dumbledore speak. He couldn't let the Boy-Who-Daphne-Fancies die due to something like this. He had proceeded to badger Dumbledore with questions about any possible way to save Harry. However, Dumbledore's response was always in the negative.

The only other useful piece of information that the old codger had given him was that his last plan before his death had failed. The plan had been for Dumbledore to die willingly at Severus's hands, thereby cancelling out the power of the Elder Wand. As the bearer would have let the conqueror willingly take the wand, the power would been lost. However, Draco Malfoy had managed to disarm Dumbledore before Severus had even appeared, on that fateful night in the Astronomy Tower. Thus out of all people, Draco Malfoy was the new Master of the Elder Wand.

The news had made Severus Snape very uneasy. The master of the Elder Wand was currently completely under Voldemort's control. If Voldemort were to find out about Draco, things could turn out to be very bad indeed.

Severus hadn't been able to control his anger at Dumbledore after he had heard about the various pieces of information given by him. In his anger, he had thrown a Blasting Curse at the portrait. However, because of the portrait's magic, the curse had rebounded on Severus and hit him in the arm, shattering all his bones and causing him to yell in pain. He had made it a point to give Dumbledore a very dirty look before leaving his office to go to the Infirmary.

He had then had to contend with Madam Pomfrey giving him dirty looks during the entire time she was treating his arm. The old medi-witch had never liked him and her dislike for him had increased after his involvement in Dumbledore's death. She had then ordered him to stay in the Infirmary for two more hours, so that his arm got the time to heal.

Hence, it was no surprise that Severus Snape wasn't in a good mood when he finally came out of the Infirmary. He thought that after going to the office, he would try a few more hexes and curses on Dumbledore portrait, but then thought the better of it.

As he was walking towards his office, a thought stuck him. He realized that he could do something to make the day a slightly more useful one.

With that thought in his mind, he hurried off towards the Seventh Floor. On the third floor landing, he came across Alecto Carrow who gave him a toothy grin. She had been trying to get it on with him ever since she had come to Hogwarts. He on the other hand, couldn't for the life of him understand as to why she thought that people found the stupid toothy grin on her face seductive.

He rushed past her without even giving her a second glance. From the corner of his eye, he could see the slightly hurt look on her face as her brushed her off. This satisfied him a great deal and helped to lift his spirits also. Maybe the day was turning around for Snape.

Soon, he reached the corridor on the Seventh Floor where the Room of Requirement was located. He focused his thoughts on a place where things could be hidden and started walking in the corridor.

After completing his third round, he stood and waited for the door of the room to appear. To his surprise, the wall remained solid.

He assumed that something had gone wrong and repeated the procedure to open the room again. However, the door failed to appear again.

As he was about to start walking for the third time, he suddenly realized the reason for the door not appearing. It was because there were goddamned people inside the Room of Requirement.

He let out a groan as the major implication of this problem came to his mind. The Horcrux inside the Room of Requirement was locked for the world, until the people inside decided to come out.

As he walked back to his office, there was only one thought in his mind: _This day just couldn't get any worse._

He was wrong.

(A/N: The Chapter was slightly on the shorter side as I decided not to elaborate on Severus's experiences. I just didn't think it was worth the effort.

Newsflash: It might take 3 or 4 days for me to put up the Next Chapter as my laptop's going into repair. This also applies to my other story - The Prisoners of Azkaban.

As for updating the pairing of this story, I read your responses (Thank you for that!) and have decided to do it once the story is complete.

And finally, you know I am going to say this.... Please Review!)


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

_He thought his day just couldn't get any worse_

_He was wrong_

As soon as Severus reached back to his office after his unsuccessful attempt to get into the Room of Requirement, he felt the mark on his arm burn. Voldemort was calling and he needed to get to him as soon as possible.

He let out a deep sigh and tried to calm himself down so that he could put up his Occlumency barriers.

Soon, the Occlumency took control of his senses and all the irritation had disappeared. He walked out of his office and to the Hogwarts gates. As soon as he was outside the Hogwarts gates, he touched his mark and disapparated.

He arrived at the door of Riddle Manor, a house which according to him was a complete mess. They were using the same house since Voldemort had returned back to his body and obviously none of the Death Eaters even thought once about cleaning the place or getting it cleaned.

He was ushered into the house and was soon in the presence of the Dark Lord. He bent down in front of Voldemort, kissed the hem of his robes and uttered,

"How can I be of service today, my Lord?"

Voldemort drawled, "Severus, by killing Dumbledore, you proved that you are one of my most faithful and loyal servants. I am going to reward you for your loyalty tonight."

Severus had spent enough time under Voldemort to know what his response should be, "I do not seek any other rewards, my Lord. Just being in my Lord's presence is reward enough for me."

Voldemort seemed satisfied with his response. He hissed, "You will accept the reward, Severus. I insist that you do. Tonight, you shall accompany me to the Hogwarts grounds. You will have the honour of opening Albus Dumbledore's tomb for me, Severus. Tonight, I shall withdraw the Deathstick from Albus Dumbledore's grave. Tonight, I will become the Master of the Elder Wand."

Severus was stunned at Voldemort's words. This was certainly not good. He just hoped and prayed that Voldemort wasn't aware that the current Master of the Elder Wand wasn't Albus Dumbledore.

With the help of his Occlumency shields, he soon managed to recover from the shock. He knew that he couldn't afford to blow his cover. With an impassive look on his face he said, "It would truly be an honour to accompany you, my Lord."

That night, Severus opened the gates of Hogwarts for Voldemort. He then proceeded to open Dumbledore's tomb for him. He had no regrets in opening Dumbledore's tomb. The old codger had caused more than enough trouble in his life to deserve it.

However, he truly feared the outcome of his actions tonight. If Voldemort were to figure out Draco's involvement with the wand then it would surely lead to the end of the Wizarding World. The power of the Dark Lord combined with that of the Elder Wand would make him practically immortal.

He saw Voldemort bend into the tomb and pick the wand up. He saw a look of triumph appear on his face. The evil look on his face almost made him want to throw up.

He then accompanied Voldemort to outside the Hogwarts gates from where Voldemort apparated back to his house.

He sealed the gates and then rushed off to his office. He then went to the fireplace, threw a bit of Floo powder, stepped in and called out, "Spinners End"

He walked out of the fireplace into his dining room and started looking for Harry and Daphne. He had quite a story to tell.

-------------

Hermione Granger was getting increasingly frustrated. She had spent the last two days browsing through books and looking for ways and means to find Harry Potter. She hadn't had any luck so far. Also, she had to deal with that idiot, Ronald Weasley and his stupid act to try and get into bed with her. Not to forget, almost very Weasley was pissed off at her decision to abandon Harry. To be frank, she was pissed off at herself for the same decision.

All said and done, it wasn't a good time to be Hermione Granger.

She was sitting in her room going through some of the few books that were remaining, when to her surprise she looked up and saw Ginny sitting on her bed.

Ginny had walked into her room and seen Hermione going through her books. That's all she seemed to be doing lately. As she looked at her, she saw bags under her eyes and realized that Hermione hadn't slept for days. She somehow had a feeling as to what, or rather who it was that Hermione was spending sleepless nights over.

She gently sat down on the edge of the bed and Hermione looked up at her in surprise.

They both looked at each other in silence for a few moments until Ginny spoke softly, "You regret leaving him, don't you?"

Hermione gave her a brief nod and returned back to her books. Ginny spoke again, "You don't look well, Hermione. You haven't slept well for ages.

Hermione didn't reply. Ginny insisted, "I don't understand why you're putting yourself through so much trouble. Will you talk to me please, Hermione. I'm here for you."

At these words, Hermione finally broke. Tears started streaming down her face. She spoke in between sobs, "I made the biggest mistake of my life, Ginny. I abandoned my only true friend when he actually needed me by his side. I made the wrong choice, Ginny. Instead of staying with Harry, I decided to walk out with your prat of a brother whose only objective lately has been to get into my pants."

Ginny gasped as this piece of information. She had realized that things were bad between Hermione and her brother, but she had no idea that their friendship had deteriorated to such an extent.

Hermione went on, "I fear for Harry's life, Ginny. I can't stop thinking about him. It's all because of my foolishness that I'm not with him right now. And now that he's not with me, I've realized that I... that I – "

Hermione broke off, unable and unwilling to go any further. She still had tears all over her face.

Ginny looked on with a stunned look on her face and she realized what Hermione was about to say. She hoped against hope that her judgement was wrong as she let out a hoarse whisper,

"Are you in love with him, Hermione?"

Her worst suspicions were confirmed when Hermione gave an almost imperceptible nod and said the word she had been dreading,

"Yes"

-----------------

Severus Snape had been expecting to find Harry and Daphne either in the sitting room or the dining room. He was surprised to find out that they weren't in either. He decided to try in the kitchen but didn't find them their either. The way his day had been going, he couldn't help but start to get an uneasy feeling.

He walked up to their rooms and went to Daphne's first. The room turned out to be empty and this served to magnify his uneasy feeling.

He walked to Potter's room hoping against hope that nothing had happened to the two teens. However, what he saw in the room left him speechless,

Both the teens were fine, in fact they were more than fine. The only problem was that Potter's body was on top of his God-daughter's. They had their clothes on, but they were kissing passionately, completely impervious to their surroundings.

Before he could stop himself, Snape bellowed, "POTTER! Get off my God-daughter."

Harry and Daphne broke the kiss on hearing his rather loud voice. Harry immediately rolled off Daphne and looked at Severus with a look of positive alarm on his face. He looked around to see Daphne staring at Severus with a sheepish grin.

Severus stared at them with conflicting emotions. He was happy that Potter and Daphne had gotten together as Daphne had wanted to be with Potter. He was happy as long as Daphne was happy. But, he was mortified as he realized that his God-daughter was now with a guy who had been marked for death, if they had to have any chance of defeating Voldemort.

He shouted the first thing that came to his mind, "What the hell are you two doing?"

Daphne decided to be cheeky, "Well, it should be quite obvious what we are doing, Severus. If you want me to define it for you then I'd say that we were making out."

Harry stared at her with an astonished look on his face. He couldn't help but admire the guts of the girl whom he had started to like quite a lot.

Severus was a little taken aback at Daphne's proclamation. He had been expecting Daphne to mutter some incoherent reply or maybe even apologize for her action. However, her reply had been far from it.

He stammered out, "You... you can't do this."

Daphne started feeling a little angry now. The grin on her face was gone, "And who's going to stop us from doing what we want to, Severus? We're both legally adults now and can do whatever the hell is it that we want."

Snape was enraged. He couldn't believe the nerve being shown by his God-daughter. He let out a deep breath and tried to calm himself. There was a reason that he was a master Occlumens, and that was because he had complete control over his mind. He was soon composed enough and said,

"I want to see you in the sitting room in five minutes. There are things we need to talk about."

With that he marched out, leaving a somewhat confused Harry and Daphne in his wake.

----------------

Both Harry and Daphne appeared in the sitting room and found Severus sitting on the couch.

Harry asked, "What's it that you wanted to talk about, Severus?"

Snape reply was a rather monotonous one as he said, "The worst day of my life."

Both Harry and Daphne were surprised at this. Daphne looked worried now. She went and sat down next to her Godfather on the couch and questioned, "What happened, Severus?"

Snape was not in the mood to play any games. He immediately launched into his tale. He told them about his conversation with Dumbledore, leaving out the part about Harry having to die. He informed them about Draco Malfoy being the Master of the Elder Wand. He then told them about his experience at the Room of Requirement and his inability to get in.

He finally told them about his encounter with Voldemort and that Voldemort now had possession of the Elder Wand.

Harry was stunned at the revelations made by Severus. He looked at Daphne expecting to find the same expression on her face, but was surprised to find her deep in thought.

Daphne heard Severus finish his tale and quickly commented, "Well, let's think about all this in a logical fashion."

Severus and Harry were both surprised at by calm demeanour. But they had both grown accustomed to her way of thinking by now. If there was one thing that Daphne Greengrass never failed to come up with, then that would be a plan to solve any type of problem.

Daphne continued, "Harry, correct me if I am wrong, didn't you tell me something about Lovegood telling you that the Elder Wand never worked against its true owner?"

Harry nodded, unsure of where she was going with this. He glanced at Severus, who was also looking at Daphne with confusion on his face.

Daphne grinned at the look of puzzlement on their faces and said, "So, if Harry defeats Draco in a duel, he would become the true Master of the Elder Wand. Then You-Know-Who wouldn't be able to use it against him."

It both stuck Severus and Harry at the same time. The plan, like Daphne's other plans was again simple but it could prove to deadly effective like it had proven to be in the case with Gringotts.

To come closer to their goal of winning the war, they needed to get Draco Malfoy.

Daphne had only one question to ensure the completeness of her plan, "The only question is; how do we get Malfoy to duel Harry?"

Severus who was impressed by the thinking prowess of his God-daughter, replied in a calm and confident tone, "Leave that to me. I'll ensure that Draco is at your disposal within the week. His family is not at the best terms with the Dark Lord currently and it wouldn't be too hard to get him out of Malfoy Manor."

Daphne gave him a big wide grin. She had a feeling that this was going to go well. She had complete faith that Harry could decimate Draco in a duel.

Harry just couldn't take his eyes off Daphne. She had positively changed his life ever since she had saved him from the pond, just three days ago. Yes, it had only been three days. He thought about the months that he had spent with Hermione and Ron in the tent, taking risks and getting nowhere.

His train of thought was interrupted by Severus, "What about the Horcrux at Gringotts? Did you two get rid of it?"

Daphne replied, "Yes, we did. In fact it was after we destroyed it, that we decided to get together."

She gave Harry a wink at this and he couldn't help but grin back at her.

They both turned to Severus who had developed a deadly serious expression of his face ever since he had heard Daphne mention their relationship.

The grin on Daphne's face vanished as she saw his expression. She decided to confront him, "What is your problem with my and Harry's relationship, Severus?"

Severus heard her say this and knew that it was time to let both her and Harry know. He wasn't going to do a Dumbledore and keep something so important from them.

His face was expressionless as he said, "Dumbledore also told me something else about Potter which I haven't told you two till now. The night the Dark Lord gave Potter that scar, a bit of his soul got transferred into his scar. His scar is a Horcrux and if we wanted to finish off the Dark Lord, then Potter has to die."

Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing. All his dreams about having a proper life once the war was over were crumbling around him. He was just a tool in the war, a tool needed for the survival of the Wizarding World. He heard Snape's words reverberate in his ears,

_Potter has to die_

He looked at Daphne, hoping that she would be able to pull something out of the hat again. However, even Daphne had no plan for something like this. Tears had started falling from her eyes.

What went un-noticed by all of them was a small figure that had appeared in the room with a view of asking them about dinner. He had just arrived in time to hear what Severus had said.

However, they all looked at the small figure when his squeaky voice proclaimed,

"Harry Potter must not die."

They all looked at him in surprise as he stated the same thing again, this time with a little more emphasis,

"Dobby will not let Harry Potter die."

(A/N: Yes people, Its Dobby's turn to steal the spotlight! It's time for him to play his role in the war.

I've even started feeling bad for Hermione now. Poor thing just can't seem to get out of the books, does she?

Also, I'd like to apologize for the delay in posting this chapter. But then again, I had informed you about my situation with the laptop in the last chapter, hadn't I?

Kindly review guys... Your reviews are what keep me going! )


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"_Dobby will not let Harry Potter die."_

Daphne was the one to ask the million dollar question, "What do you mean, Dobby?"

Dobby replied, "Harry Potter sir is Dobby's master and we elves ensure that no harm come to our master."

Harry, who had remained silent till now, spoke up, "I am afraid you can't save me, Dobby. I have a piece of his soul inside me. You-Know-Who can't die till that part of soul is removed and the only way to do that is for me to die."

Dobby's little face cringed again at the very thought of his beloved Harry Potter dying, "Dobby knows to remove soul and Harry Potter sir is not having to die."

Three people stared at him with shocked looks on their faces as they heard this revelation.

Severus was the first one to comment, "How can you do something like that? You're just a mere house elf."

Daphne heard this and admonished him, "That wasn't good of you, Severus!"

Even Harry gave Severus a disdainful look before he decided to ignore his remark. He asked Dobby, "What is the way to remove the dark soul inside me, Dobby?"

Dobby who had been a little put out at Snape's remark suddenly came back to his vibrant self again as he heard his Harry Potter sir talking to him. He said,

"It is easy procedure, Harry Potter sir. When we elves bond with our Master then we connect with Master's soul. Dobby detect dark part of soul when Dobby bond with the greatest Harry Potter sir-"

Harry interrupted him, "You detected it, Dobby. Why didn't you tell me about it before?"

Dobby looked ashamed of himself as he replied, "Dobby is being very sorry Harry Potter sir. House elves not supposed to speak of what they see in Master's soul unless Master asks them to."

Harry just looked at Dobby for some moments as his mind was processing what Dobby had just told him.

Dobby looked at Harry and saw his silence as a sign of anger, "Dobby let Harry Potter sir down. Dobby must punish himself."

With that he started beating his head on the door. His actions caused Harry to snap out of his musings. He stepped forward and stopped him.

He said, "Dobby, I forbid you from hurting yourself ever again. Do you understand?"

Dobby nodded meekly and put his head down. Harry looked down at the elf, bent down on one knee and hugged him.

Dobby looked baffled at his actions but he returned the hug enthusiastically. He had never been hugged before.

Harry said, "I don't know how am I ever going to repay you, Dobby. First, you saved me from embarrassment by providing the Gillyweed for the second task in the Triwizard tournament. Then, you were the reason that we were able to come to this house and were also able to get to Gringotts. And now, you are offering me a chance to live. I don't know what good I have done to deserve a friend like you."

Tears were flowing down Dobby's eyes as he heard Harry say this. He responded, "Harry Potter is truly greatest and kindest person in whole world. Harry Potter calls Dobby a friend and not a servant. Dobby will do anything for his friend."

Soon, both of them broke the hug and stepped back. Daphne also hugged Dobby and told him how great he was. Severus just stood silently unsure of what to do or say.

Harry suddenly remembered something, "Dobby, if the evil soul is removed from me then what will happen to my connection with You-Know-Who? And what about the abilities that I inherited from him like being able to speak Parseltongue?"

Dobby replied, "Your connection with him will be gone and your abilities which you got from him will also go away."

Harry started thinking about this. He was unaware that even Daphne and Severus were thinking of the same thing.

Severus was the one who asked the question which was on everyone's mind, "Will he come to know when the connection is broken?"

Dobby responded in the negative, "No. He will not realise as destruction of this part will be similar to other parts of his soul."

Both Harry and Daphne heaved a sigh of relief. Even Severus seemed to be relieved at this piece of information but he didn't show it.

After some time, they were all in Harry's room as Dobby was about to start the process of removing the evil soul. Harry had been made to lie down on his bed.

He had informed them that soul splitting was a very rare piece of Elven Magic. Before Merlin's time when elves had been the most powerful race, evil elves used to murder other elves to split their souls into various pieces so that they could be nearly immortal.

According to him, one of the rogue elves had leaked out the secret of splitting souls to an evil wizard named Saruman, who had been the first wizard to ever create a Horcrux. The Wizarding authorities had found out about the technique of splitting souls after they had captured Saruman, and they had not taken too kindly to it. They had tried to hide their data about the Horcruxes, but a few corrupt authority figures had ensured that it was passed on to their future generations. In the future, some books had also been written on the concept but they had been banned by the Ministry as soon as they had been published. Currently very few witches and wizards were aware of the Horcruxes and the number of books was limited and they were very hard to access.

Dobby had also told Harry that since the evil soul inside him wasn't his own and that it had already been split by Voldemort, it wouldn't be necessary to kill anyone to split this soul apart.

Finally, Dobby had informed him that he might feel a little bit of weakness when the soul had been removed and no other side effects as such. Both Harry and Daphne had been mightily relieved to hear this.

Soon, Dobby started muttering a complex string of incantations which appeared to be Latin. A bright green glow surrounded Harry and a tiny wisp of black smoke started to come out of his body. Dobby continued his incantations till the black smoke completely came out of Harry's body, and then he stopped and fell down on the ground, magically exhausted.

Daphne rushed to pick Dobby up when she saw him fall on the ground. She was relieved to find that he was just exhausted because he had used up a lot of power. She realized that he needed some rest and put him on the couch next to Harry's bed so that he could relax.

When Harry opened his eyes, he suddenly felt light-headed. He tried to get up but he didn't feel that he had the strength to do so. He looked sideways to find Daphne staring at him, with a grin on her face. He grinned back at her.

Soon, he found the strength in his bones returning. He felt as if a heavy load had been lifted off his shoulders. He tried to sit up again, and this time he succeeded.

He looked around to see Daphne smiling at him and Dobby sitting on the sofa looking a little weak, but fine otherwise. He was surprised to see that even Severus had a little smile on his face.

He saw Daphne turn around and heard her say, "Dobby, you have done us the biggest favour that you could possibly do. Now, Harry might not know of a way to pay you back but I surely do. When this is over, I am going to make sure that I tell all the female house elves at Greengrass Manor about your brave deed. I am pretty certain that they are going to want to snog you senseless."

Harry had started laughing at this. Dobby's face had changed colour drastically and was now a crimson red.

To Severus' disgust, Daphne had proceeded to jump Harry and start kissing him like she had never kissed him before. She intended to give Dobby a full demonstration of what snogging someone looked like.

----------------

Voldemort was completely in his element. He already had his own power but now he also possessed the greatest wand made in Wizarding History. He intended to show the true power of the Elder Wand to the Wizarding World and he had the perfect idea of how to go about it.

He called for the few of his followers who were staying at Riddle Manor. They all came in and proceeded to follow the ritual of bowing down to him and kissing the hem of his robes.

As soon as they had all done so, Voldemort declared, "It's time for us to demonstrate our true power to the Wizarding World. We also need to pass on a message for that Potter brat. In a week from now, one of our own, Severus Snape will arrange a Hogsmeade trip for all the Hogwarts students. In a week from now, we will attack Hogsmeade."

With that he got off his throne and left for the room adjoining his.

He'd ordered Lucius to provide him Narcissa for the night, and the blonde Death Eater had readily complied in the hopes of getting on the right side of the Dark Lord again.

Voldemort didn't want to keep her waiting.

------------------

Ginny had left the room as soon as Hermione had confirmed her worst fear. She'd not bothered to talk to Hermione about it and even Hermione hadn't bothered to stop her from leaving.

Ginny knew that she needed some time to think. She had proceeded to her bedroom and lay down on her bed. She'd soon gotten lost in her thoughts.

After a few minutes, her brain had quickly come to the conclusion. It was foolish to even think that Hermione wouldn't fall for Harry at some point of time. It just surprised her that it hadn't been sooner.

She'd spent the better part of seven years with him, always standing by him and helping him out whenever she could. He also cared a lot about her and was her first real friend in the Magical world. Both of them had put their lives on the line for each other many a times and even after going through some harrowing experiences, remained the best of friends.

It almost seemed like a match made in heaven. Thankfully for Ginny Weasley, this wasn't heaven. This was the real world. Hermione had deserted Harry in his time of need and now he was fair game.

She came to a decision,

She couldn't and wouldn't hate Hermione for falling in love with Harry. However, even she would let Harry know that she loved him a lot.

She would leave the final decision upto Harry. It was his life and he had the right to choose who he wanted to spend it with.

Her last thought as she fell off to sleep was,

_Stay safe, Harry. No matter whom you choose, I'll be happy for you._

--------------------

The next morning, Harry woke up, and was surprised to his arms wrapped around a warm body. He looked down to see Daphne's head buried into his chest, her wavy blonde locks spread all around it.

He looked down as her sleeping form and smiled happily. It was the best night's sleep he had ever had. There had been no nightmares to contend with and Daphne had definitely been a reassuring presence.

His smile grew wider as he remembered how Daphne had snuck out of her room last night and into his. Without saying a word, she had gotten into the bed, cuddled up next to him and dozed off. Neither of them had said a word as both had realized that the other's presence was enough.

As he was lost in his thoughts, she had woken up and was staring at him with those beautiful blue eyes.

Harry looked at her and commented, "You know, I could get used to this and never let you go."

Daphne smiled at him, "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Harry planted a soft kiss on her lips on hearing this. The kiss soon turned into a snogging session which both of them thoroughly enjoyed.

Soon, they just lay there staring at each other until Daphne asked him, "What do you plan to do once the war is over, Harry?"

He had known the answer to this question ever since he had set off on the Horcrux hunt. Harry's reply was instantaneous, "I want to get away from it all, Daphne. I wish to leave the Wizarding world, atleast for some time. But if I manage to defeat him, I doubt I'll be allowed to do so."

Daphne gazed back at him. She had somehow expected this response from him, "We can think up of something to let you do so, Harry. I may need to talk to Severus, but am sure that we can come up with something."

Harry had smiled at her and thanked her. However, he hadn't been able to resist asking the next question, "If I am able to leave the Wizarding world, Daphne, will you come with me?"

Daphne was a little taken aback at this question. She couldn't help but feel that things were progressing too fast between her and Harry.

However, she also knew that as long as long as it was Harry she was with, she didn't care as to how fast things went. She also realized that even if she tried she wouldn't be able to say no to him.

Harry was getting a little worried now. She hadn't spoken for a few second. He couldn't help but feel that he had asked the question too early in their relationship, but he hadn't been able to stop himself.

However, all his worries were laid to rest when he heard her say,

"Yes, Harry. I'd love to."

(A/N: Yay ... Dobby's a hero now! And he's going to get his own pack of fan-elves. How cool is that? Lol.

I can't help but feel that Dobby's and Hedwig's death was highly un-necessary in the book. I couldn't do anything about Hedwig but you can be rest assured that am not going to let Dobby die.

Also, I am tired of reading fictions in which Ginny becomes violent after finding out that Harry and Hermione are in love. Although I don't really like her much, I have tried to portray her as a slightly more understanding character. In Ron's case, as you may all know, making him an understanding character is nearly impossible. Actually, even if it were possible, I wouldn't do it :P

Sorry for the slightly longer than usual rant guys, Kindly review!)


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

It was late in the afternoon and both Harry and Daphne were in the sitting room at Spinners End, working on their snogging skills. They'd been unable to keep their hands off each other ever since the morning, when Daphne had agreed to leave with Harry after the war. They both knew that it was a big step in their relationship and both of them intended to commemorate the day by snogging as much as possible.

Severus Snape had left after breakfast claiming that he had work to do at Hogwarts. On his way out, he had told them that he would try his level best to get hold of Draco Malfoy today. They intended to get the Elder Wand business sorted out as soon as possible. They couldn't run the risk of Voldemort finding out the truth about the wand's true owner.

Dobby had been exhausted after the soul splitting ritual he had performed on Harry. On Harry's insistence, he was still resting. He wanted to get up and start work but Harry wouldn't let him do it.

So, that had left both Harry and Daphne alone in the sitting room and they were making full use of the privacy. Their relationship had not progressed beyond snogging, but both of them were happy to take it slow for time being.

After what must have probably been the millionth kiss of the day, they broke apart for air.

Harry was smiling broadly, "You know, I could do this the whole day and not get tired of it."

Daphne chuckled at this, "Oh, shut up you big flirt. If you want to snog again, all you need to do is ask."

She appeared to think for a moment before she continued, "In fact, I think we're well past the asking stage. I, Daphne Greengrass, give Harry Potter the authority to snog me whenever he feels like it. "

Harry started laughing at this and responded in kind, "And I, Harry James Potter accept the authority handed over to be by the lovely Miss Daphne Greengrass. I also give her the authority to do the same and anything more also, if she wishes to."

Harry winked at her after the last part. Her eyes widened as she realized what he was implying. This caused her to jump on him and start punching him playfully. The playful punching only lasted for a few seconds before it turned into a snogging session. They were lost in each other's arms for several minutes before coming up for breath again.

Daphne regained her breath and said, "Harry, we need to stop now. We were supposed to be thinking about ways to get the diadem out of the Room of Requirements and all we have been doing is snogging and silly talk for the last three hours."

Harry grinned at her, "Well, it's a good thing that I already found a solution to our Room of Requirement problem, isn't it? It gives us more time to do stuff that we really want to do."

Daphne stared at him in disbelief, "You w-what? How did you?"

The grin on Harry's face widened as he said, "Well, if you give a guy the right type of encouragement to solve a problem, then he'll obviously try harder to come up with a solution. Obviously, getting more snogging time with the most beautiful girl in the world was more than enough incentive for me to come up with a perfectly good idea."

Daphne was blushing furiously at the amount of praise Harry was showering upon her. She went up to him and gave him a light kiss on the lips, "Thank you, Harry. You're not too bad looking yourself."

She laughed at the last part as Harry gave her a mock glare.

After a few seconds, she asked him, "So, what is this big idea of yours? What are we going to do?"

Harry replied, "It was actually a pretty simple idea, really. It's essential that we find who's inside the Room of Requirements in the first place, so that we can decide how to deal with them. Obviously, we wouldn't be able to get into the room as we are humans. However, elves can get into any room at any point of time. So, I thought that we could send an elf to that room to get the details we need. Elves can stay invisible by using their inherent power, so there's almost no chance of them being caught."

As soon as Harry had mentioned elves, Daphne had understood what his plan was. However, she still had a doubt, "But, Harry, Dobby is exhausted right now. We can't possibly send him in such a condition. It'll surely be too much of a risk."

Harry gave her a triumphant smile at this statement. He had the solution to this problem as well. He remarked, "Who said anything about sending Dobby?"

Daphne's face was showing signs of complete confusion.

Harry moved to remove her confusion as he called out,

"Kreacher"

With a pop, a thin and worn out house elf stood in front of him. He was rather old and wore a small torn piece of rag on his body.

He bowed down in front of Harry and drawled, "Master called Kreacher and Kreacher is here. What does Master want?"

Harry was moved by the pitiable site of the old elf in front of him. He'd felt very bad the day on which they had to abandon Kreacher in Grimmauld Place after Death Eaters had invaded the place. Thankfully, there were no signs of injuries on his body.

Harry spoke as softly as he could, "I'm so sorry that we had to leave you behind in that house, Kreacher. Death Eaters attacked the place and we had no option but to leave."

He continued in the soft tone and asked, "What happened to you after we left, Kreacher?"

Kreacher replied, "Kreacher saw Dark Lord's followers enter house and Kreacher immediately pop out of there. Kreacher having nowhere to go as bad people had taken over Mistress House. So, Kreacher decide to return to Hogwarts as master instructs him to do last year also. However, other elves at Hogwarts do not like Kreacher that much so Kreacher having to leave Hogwarts also."

He continued in an even more morose tone, "Kreacher keep searching for place to stay outside Hogwarts but not finding any for a long time. Kreacher keep waiting for Master to call him and Master has finally called. Kreacher can now hope for place to stay."

Harry felt terrible. He apologized to Kreacher again and the elf accepted his apology without question.

Then he introduced Daphne to Kreacher, "Kreacher, meet my friend Daphne."

Kreacher automatically gave a bow in front of Daphne. Then he turned towards Harry and said, "Master choosing pureblood witch as future Mrs. Potter. Kreacher is very happy with Master's decision."

Both Harry and Daphne blushed at this. Harry moved to correct the elf, "It's not like that, Kreacher. I chose Daphne because I like her and not because she's a pureblood."

Kreacher just nodded his head again. Daphne looked at Harry in amazement. He'd not corrected Kreacher about the 'Mrs. Potter' remark. She felt her heart jumping with joy as she imagined the possibilities.

She was about to ask Harry about it when suddenly there was a noise from near the fireplace. She looked around to see Severus stepping out of the fireplace.

The look on his face as he approached them was one of pure fury. She could also detect a bit of fear in his eyes. She couldn't help but wonder what could possibly be so bad.

Severus just stopped in front of them. He looked straight at Harry and said,

"Potter, we have a problem."

-----------------

Neville Longbottom couldn't believe what he was hearing, "You can't possibly be serious, Lisa"

Lisa Turpin was adamant. She had seen it with her very own eyes, "I am telling you, Neville. I was sneaking down to the kitchen to get some food. On the way I heard a couple of first years talking about it. I decided to take the risk and made a dash for the notice board. A notice was put up there in loud and clear words."

She continued, "We're going to have a Hogsmeade trip next weekend. There's no doubt about it."

Neville just stared back at her in astonishment. He couldn't believe what he had just heard.

He turned around and faced the people sitting behind him. His voice boomed across the room, "There's an announcement which has come in. We're going to have a Hogsmeade trip next weekend."

There were loud gasps of surprise throughout the room.

Seamus Finnegan shouted, "Are you crazy, Neville? Why would Snape want us to have a Hogsmeade weekend in the middle of a war?"

Neville shook his head in response, "I have no idea as to why we are having this trip in such a delicate situation. There's got to be some kind of reasoning behind it."

Susan Bones was usually one of the quiet ones. When she spoke, all heads turned to look at the Hufflepuff redhead,

"Isn't it obvious, people? Snape is undoubtedly on You-Know-Who's side. If he is the one who has made the announcement then I can surely say that this is a trap. They might be attacking Hogsmeade."

All the eyes remained fixed on her as realization dawned on them.

Hannah Abbott suddenly shrieked, "But students ... the younger ones, they wouldn't know. They'll go out thinking that it's a normal weekend. "

She appeared to be in thought for a few moments before she spoke again in a defeatist tone, "They'll all be killed and we won't be able to do anything about it."

There was a sudden quietness across the room. You could almost hear a pin drop.

Neville was the first one to recover and he decided to take charge. He bellowed,

"We're not going to let this happen. We're all members of Dumbledore's Army, people. We joined this club so that one day we would have the chance of fighting this war against evil. Finally, we have that chance. It's time for us to prove ourselves, guys. We've got to fight."

There was silence in the whole room before Terry Boot spoke up, "But, Neville, there's only eight of us here mate. The rest are all at their homes for the holidays. What if they come back and decide not to join us?"

Neville responded in the same loud voice, "Then it won't matter. The trip is two days after school reopens. When the DA members come back, we'll give them the choice. They can choose to stay back or come and fight. Even if it's me alone, I will go and fight those monsters. I don't care if anybody comes with me or not. I'm not going to let those monsters kill innocent children."

This seemed to affect the people in the room. Soon, their faces turned into more determined ones.

Luna Lovegood, who had remained rather quiet till now, spoke up, "The elves have been really kind to us, letting us take food from the kitchens and even bringing it to us when we had the need. They might be small, but they are also very powerful creatures. Maybe we can ask for their help also?"

Neville looked like he could hug her, "Excellent idea, Luna. After all the crap they've suffered at the hands of his followers, I am sure that they'll help."

Terry patted her on the shoulder and whispered next to her ear, "That was brilliant." For reasons unknown, Luna felt a blush creeping up on her face.

Lisa saw the blush on Luna's face and couldn't hide a smile. She knew her fellow Ravenclaw was completely smitten by Terry.

She heard Neville shout out once again, "Then it's settled. Today onwards, we'll double our efforts in training. I expect everyone to practice duelling as much as possible. We're going to beat them at their own game, people. We're going to win this fight."

He finally let out the war cry, "For Hogwarts!"

Everyone cried out in response, "For Hogwarts!"

-----------------

Before listening to what Severus had to say, Harry had sent Kreacher to the Room of Requirement after giving him all the instructions. Although it pained Harry to send him to a place that Kreacher hated, he had little choice it the matter. The elf had not put forth any objections to his order and had left without any form of protest.

His face was now twisted in anger as he listened to Severus explaining Voldemort's latest plans. The evil bastard had specially made Severus arrange a trip to Hogsmeade for the Hogwarts student so that he could attack and kill them.

His anger knew no bounds but he was managing to keep himself from having an outburst. Daphne's presence next to him was a calming factor. Her touch soothed him like no one else's.

Harry composed himself and asked Severus, "What are we going to do now, Severus? Did you have any luck with Malfoy?"

Severus replied, "No, Potter. I headed first to Hogwarts from where I was summoned by the Dark Lord. According to the Dark Lord's instructions, I put up the notice for the Hogsmeade trip. As soon as I had done that, I rushed here so that I could inform you two."

Daphne sighed, "We've got to get Malfoy, Severus. Without the Elder wand's powers, we will stand no chance against the Dark Lord's forces."

Severus agreed with her, "I know that, Daphne. I'll be heading out now. If things go according to plan, you'll have Draco Malfoy at your feet within a couple of hours. "

As soon as he said it, he was gone.

(A/N: Yay... Kreacher's back and we're soon going to have a pack of fight-elves!

Aberforth and Arianna Dumbledore are not going to play a part in this story. Even if there's a passage from the Hog's Head to Hogwarts, am not using it. I found the entire thing about Dumbledore's past in DH to be highly irrelevant and a complete waste of time and pages.

The pairing has also been updated earlier than I had decided because people told me that it's not easy to find the story otherwise.

Do review!)


	13. Chapter 13

**Warning:** Character Death.

Chapter 13

Severus Snape had apparated straight to the sitting room at Malfoy Manor. The Manor constantly had Voldemort's followers popping in and out, so he wasn't too worried about getting caught.

To his surprise, there was no one in the sitting room apart from a very drunk Rudolphus Lestrange. He decided to ignore the man and walked out of the sitting room and towards the stairs.

As he was crossing the dining room, he could very clearly hear voices coming from inside,

"But this is insane, Yaxley," Lucius Malfoy's voice boomed across the room.

Severus chanced a peek and found that Lucius, Rookwood, Narcissa and Yaxley were the only members present in the room.

His curiosity got the better of him, and he decided to wait there and listen.

Yaxley was the one speaking now, "But Lucius, he's our Lord and we have to follow whatever he says. We have no choice in the matter."

Lucius almost shouted again, "But, what's the point of this attack? We already have control over Hogsmeade as well as Hogwarts. Actually, we have control over the whole of Wizarding Britain."

"I agree with Lucius. All this attack will do is make the Wizarding masses extremely pissed off. Currently, we have little or no resistance against us. If this happens and we do kill off children for no apparent reason, then we may as well be facing an uprising," said Rookwood.

All eyes turned towards Rookwood. He was a man of few words, so this was definitely surprising, coming from him.

Narcissa Malfoy's voice broke the silence, "Maybe it's just a ploy of the Dark Lord to get the Potter boy out of hiding."

Lucius tuned towards his voice, "If that is the case, then this seems to be a bigger fiasco than I had thought originally. If our Lord wants to get that Potter brat out of hiding, all he has to do is catch hold of a couple of Weasley's from their miserable excuse for a home. The news of their capture can be well publicised so that Potter hears of it. If I know Potter correctly, the fool is sure to pull off some stupid stunt to save them and can be easily captured."

Silence reigned in the room again. They were all pondering over what Lucius had just said.

Yaxley decided to try and convince his fellow followers again, "But, Lucius, he's our Lord. He's never been wrong. I'm sure that he has a reason-"

Lucius interrupted him, "What if he's wrong this one time? What if all that killing has finally made him insane? What are you going to do then?"

To everyone's surprise, Rookwood turned to Yaxley and spoke again, "Is it true that he's acquired some insanely powerful wand, Yaxley?"

Yaxley nodded, "Yes, there have been rumours that he's somehow managed to get his hands on a wand known as the Deathstick. However, I am not sure that it even exists. Till now, the only reference I have of it is from a children's story book."

Narcissa spoke up at this, "It's true that he has a new wand. I saw it on the table next to the bed, when I was leaving his room this morning."

Lucius Malfoy looked up and saw pure disgust on Narcissa's face. The Dark Lord had asked him for Narcissa and he had no option other than giving him what he wanted. He winced as he remembered the extremely tense conversation he had with his wife when he told her that she'd have to give herself up to the Dark Lord. The memory of that conversation only served to make him even more furious than he already was.

Rookwood was speaking again, "So, he just wants to demonstrate the wand's power to the Wizarding World?"

Yaxley nodded, "Yes, I was there when he first announced the plan. He quite clearly stated that it was time to demonstrate our power to the Wizarding World. At that time, I obviously didn't know that he wanted to do it just because he'd procured some stupid stick."

Lucius was now blatantly shouting, "This is madness. I don't want to go along with this."

Rookwood calmly stated, "So true, Lucius. I can't help but agree with you that this is insanity on the Dark Lord's part. However, it should be pretty obvious that we don't have a choice in the matter."

Lucius shouted again, "I'm not going to risk my life over a stupid stick. I've got to talk him out of this."

And then, much to the surprise of everyone present, Lucius Malfoy apparated away.

-------------------

Severus Snape couldn't keep the smile off his face after what he had just heard. There was surely major discontent amongst some of the Dark Lord's most loyal followers, regarding his planned attack on Hogsmeade. This served to lift up his spirits.

As soon as Lucius had apparated away from the dining room, he had continued on his way up the stairs.

He soon came to the room he knew was Draco's. He knocked a couple of times and then a voice from inside the room told him to come in.

He walked into the room and was pleased to see that Draco was alone. That'd certainly help matters.

Draco, who was facing the window, turned around to look at him. The impassive expression on his face soon turned to one of surprise as he realized who his visitor was.

He drawled, "Snape, what the hell are you doing here?"

Severus responded, "I've come to discuss some important stuff with you, Draco."

Draco spat out, "I don't care what you want to discuss with me, Snape. I'd suggest that you leave the room, the door is right behind you."

Severus managed to maintain his composure, "I have information that can make you fall back into the Dark Lord's good graces."

Draco's eyes narrowed at this statement, "What do you mean?"

Severus replied, "I just said it, didn't I? I want to give you some rather important information, which can help you."

Draco was just giving him a suspicious look as he was unsure what to say.

Severus continued, "Draco, I know of the whereabouts of a certain witch who managed to escape the Dark Lord's wrath when he attacked her home. The Dark Lord wasn't too pleased with her escape. If you're the one to hand her over, then am sure that he'll appreciate your work."

Draco Malfoy wasn't satisfied with Severus's statement. He asked, "Who is it? And why are you telling me about this? Wouldn't it be better if you took all the glory for yourself like last time?"

Severus knew that Draco had not forgiven him for killing Dumbledore. Draco still thought that he had just done it so that he could become the Dark Lord's right hand man. Severus had tried to explain to him about the Unbreakable Vow, but his efforts were futile. Draco still hated him.

Severus responded to Draco's questions with all the emotion that he could muster, "You were one of my favourite students at Hogwarts, Draco. You've to understand that I killed Dumbledore out of necessity and not for the sake of glory. I only mean you well, Draco. I want you to have the same type of influence which I now possess with the Dark Lord."

Draco spoke again, "I am having trouble believing you, Severus. You are one of the reasons that my family is no longer in favour with the Dark Lord. You'll have to tell me your information before I can take the decision whether to trust you or not."

Snape continued, "I have information about Daphne Greengrass. She escaped from Greengrass Manor when it was attacked. Her parents were good friends of mine at one point of time and foolishly named me their daughter's Godfather. She came to me today, unaware that I was serving the Dark Lord and asking for my help. If you want, I can take you to her and you can personally deliver her to the Dark Lord himself."

Draco sat pondering over what Severus had just said. Severus could make out from his face that he was still having doubts.

Severus hated that he had to say what he was about to, but he knew he had to do it to give Draco some more incentive. He spoke,

"If the Dark Lord is pleased with your work, then maybe he'll let you have her for yourself. She's quite a looker."

Draco's eyes lit up at this prospect. Greengrass was one of the few girls in Slytherin who had wanted to have nothing to do with him. He'd tried his luck with her a couple of times, but had ended up hexed for all his efforts. He had always wondered what was under the robes.

After a few seconds, Draco said, "Alright Snape, take me to her. I still don't trust you, but I am ready to take a chance. It's just too good an opportunity to pass up."

Snape nodded and held out his hand, "I'll be side apparating you."

Draco grasped his hand and both of the disapparated from Malfoy Manor.

----------------

Both Severus and Draco appeared in a room that seemed as if it hadn't been used for ages. Everything in the room was covered with dust and a lot of spider webs could be seen hanging from the wall.

Draco wrinkled his nose, "What the hell is this place?"

Severus responded, "We're inside the Shrieking Shack. I'd told Daphne that I'd be finding a place for her to hide. I'll get her here under the pretext of having found a hideout for her."

Draco appeared to be a little confused, "But why here of all places?"

Snape replied, "Because this is one of the few places I know, that isn't filled with our fellow Death Eaters. I'm sure you do not want someone else to capture her and take the credit in front of the Dark Lord."

Draco nodded, accepting Severus's choice of location.

Severus continued, "Now, wait here until I go and get her. Once she comes with me, I do not want you to do anything rash. Do you get me?"

Draco nodded his head once again and then watched as Severus Snape apparated away.

Within a few minutes, Severus had apparated back in again holding the arm of none other than Daphne Greengrass.

Draco grinned evilly as he saw her approaching with Severus. This is going to be fun, he thought.

He saw her looking at him with an unreadable expression on her face. He drawled, "Hello, Greengrass."

He heard some weird noise behind him but he ignored it as Daphne spoke up, "Oh hello to you too, Malfoy."

Malfoy was a little surprised by her response. He'd expected her to be surprised by his presence in the room, but she didn't seem to be.

He didn't have long to pursue this train of thought as suddenly there was a rustling noise behind him, like a cloak being taken off.

He turned around to find himself face to face with none other than his biggest enemy in the world - Harry Potter.

Before he could do anything, Harry pointed his wand at Draco and shouted, "_Expelliarmus!_"

Malfoy looked on in shock as his wand flew up from his holster to Potter's hand.

He was about to say something before he heard Greengrass yell behind him, "_Stupefy!_"

Draco Malfoy dropped down to the ground as the stunning spell hit his back.

Severus Snape looked on as Draco fell to the ground. He was relieved that everything had gone according to the plan so far. Daphne's idea about Potter apparating under the Invisibility Cloak had also been a major success.

He knew he had to finish things off. Any plan was not complete without its finishing touches.

He looked at Harry and Daphne and said, "You two should better get going. I'll clean things up here and join you soon."

Daphne grinned at him and then turned to Harry and bowed down before him, "Before we leave, allow me to bow down before you, Oh great Master of the Elder wand."

Harry laughed at this, and pulled her towards him. He gave her a quick kiss, before apparating them both back to Spinners End.

Severus Snape watched them apparate away and then got to work.

He picked up Draco's wand which Harry had dropped on the floor before he left. He then put it back in the holster.

Then, he put his hand on Draco's arm and apparated both of them back to Draco's room, hoping against hope that nobody would be there.

He was in luck. The room seemed to be in the same condition as it had been in, when he had left a few minutes back.

He put Draco on the bed and quietly muttered, "_Enervate._"

Draco started getting up and gave Severus a murderous glance. Before he could reach for his wand he was hit by Severus again,

"_Obliviate!_"

Before Draco could recover from the Memory Charm placed on him, Severus Snape had apparated away. It was almost as if he'd never even come.

---------------

Voldemort hissed, "Tell me, Lucius. Tell me that you just didn't have the audacity to question my decisions."

Lucius Malfoy felt a little bit of fear, "But you have to understand, my Lord. The attack is going to create an uprising in the Wizarding public. We've got them under control, my Lord. It would be advisable if we continue the way we are."

The Dark Lord gave it a moment of thought before stating, "You know, Lucius. I remember the days you used to be my most ruthless and loyal follower. However, as the years have gone by you have become soft."

Lucius tried to say something, but Voldemort silenced him with a flick of his new wand.

He continued, "Your incompetence in the past few years has cost me, Lucius. First, you lost me my precious Diary. Then, you were the one leading the group which couldn't deal with six children at the Department of Mysteries. What's more, you even managed to get captured and the Wizarding World also became aware of my return to power, which is one thing that I didn't want happening."

Lucius tried to free himself from the silencing spell but his attempts were pointless.

"And now, you dare to come to my Chamber and challenge my authority and my decision making abilities. I've had enough of you, Lucius. You've become more of a hindrance than help."

With that, Voldemort's voice turned into a deadly hiss, "Goodbye, old friend."

Lucius was struggling now, but he couldn't do much as Voldemort lifted his wand and cast the curse dreaded by every witch and wizard alive,

"_Avada Kedavra!_"

(A/N: Yes! Another chapter done *does a little jig*

The reasons behind Lucius Malfoy's death: First, I didn't like how he and his family got away scot-free at the end of DH, even after all the atrocities they had committed.

Second, it was a display of a slight amount of insanity on the part of Voldemort. Like they say, power makes people do stupid things. The power which he expects the Elder wand to provide him has gone into his head and is affecting the way he normally operates.

I dedicate this chapter to _**madsloth.**_ Majority of the ideas that you see in this chapter are his and I just want to thank him for all the help.

Like always, Please review!)


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

As soon as Harry and Daphne had apparated back, they were greeted by the sight of two elves trying to tear each other's head off.

Dobby was shouting, "Kreacher is bad elf. Kreacher should go away from Harry Potter sir's house."

Kreacher was not one to stand back; even he was shouting his lungs out, "Harry Potter is Kreacher's master also. Master summoned Kreacher and Kreacher is not going anywhere."

Both Harry and Daphne quickly moved to intervene before the fight got out of hand. Harry held on to Kreacher and Daphne held on to Dobby. After struggling for a few moments both the elves gave up and mellowed down a bit.

Harry declared, "Kreacher and Dobby, I forbid you both from fighting with each other."

Both elves hung their heads down, ashamed of their actions. Harry and Daphne relaxed their grips and let them free on the ground.

Daphne spoke to them. "Listen both of you; we're all on the same side now. You know that we're in the middle of a war here. We're not going to win if we fight amongst ourselves. Now, I want to see no more fights or even bad words from you two. Is that understood?"

Both Dobby and Kreacher nodded their heads in agreement.

Harry was impressed by the way Daphne had handled the situation. But then again, that was Daphne Greengrass for you; she made things look easier than they really were. He gave her a small wink and she smiled back in response.

Kreacher suddenly spoke up, "Master, Kreacher goes to Room of Requirements and finds the people there. Does Master want to know who they are?"

Harry's eyes lightened up at the prospect, "Yes, Kreacher. Tell me now."

Kreacher responded, "There being eight people inside room. They calling themselves Dumbledore's Army and being led by Master's friend from school, the boy named Neville Longbottom."

Harry was surprised at this revelation. He looked at Daphne and said, "Well, this is rather surprising. What do you suppose they are doing there?"

Daphne replied, "They are hiding of course, Harry. In case you didn't know, Hogwarts has been really messed up this year. The Carrows are making life nearly unbearable for the students and even Severus has to maintain the farce of being a cruel Death Eater. From what I've heard, anybody who opposes the Carrows gets whipped. That douche Filch must be really enjoying himself. It was his dream to be allowed to whip students."

Harry let out a groan. He turned and asked Kreacher, "Were they all fine? Was anyone hurt?"

Kreacher replied, "Kreacher sees that they have little injuries at various parts on body and that nobody is seriously hurt, Master."

Both Harry and Daphne let out a sigh of relief. Harry questioned Kreacher again, "Do you have any idea what they are doing? Did you hear them talking about something."

Kreacher responded, "They knowing about Dark Lord's plan of attack on Hogsmeade. They all planning to go and fight, sir."

Harry was stunned when he heard this. Neville and the others were planning on going and fighting Death Eaters. He shouldn't be letting this happen.

He was broken out of his trance by Daphne's voice,

"Dobby and Kreacher, I need you to do something for me. I want you both to go to the Room of Requirements and tell Neville that Harry Potter wants to see him. Ask him about what time will be convenient. Please get a response as soon as you can. And also remember, no more fighting."

Dobby and Kreacher nodded and gave short bows before popping away.

On seeing them disappear, Harry started laughing. He laughed long and hard while Daphne just stared at him all the while, thinking that he had lost his mind.

He moved towards Daphne and kissed her softly before speaking, "If people want to see the definition of 'keeping cool in the line of fire', then I believe that they should look you up."

Daphne grinned at him and retorted, "That sort of flattery isn't going to get you anywhere, Potter. As my boyfriend, you can surely do better."

Harry decided to play along, "You can't blame me, Daph. After all, who would have thought that poor old me would be getting a chance to flatter the smartest young witch of this generation?"

Daphne smiled at this and asked, "But I thought that title was reserved for Hermione Granger?"

Harry's face darkened a bit at the mention of Hermione's name but he decided to look past it. He responded, "Oh, she's all about books and stuff. You on the other hand, are practical and awesome."

Daphne's smile grew wider as she spoke again, "Keep that up Harry and you'll soon be seeing places that you've never seen before."

She gave him a rather suggestive wink at the end which made his face turn red. He soon recovered and grabbed her in his arms before saying, "I really, really like the sound of that."

With that, he kissed her with as much passion as he could muster. Things were just getting heated up when dual pops were heard in the room.

Both Harry and Daphne broke the kiss and looked around to see the source of the noise. They spotted Dobby and Kreacher standing in front of them, looking highly embarrassed.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Harry asked them, "So, what's the news?"

Dobby replied, "We went and saw Mr. Neville Longbottom sir. He said he'd be very pleased to see you whenever you find time."

Kreacher said, "He also asked us to tell you that he'll be keeping your arrival as a surprise and not telling anyone in room."

Harry turned to Daphne and asked, "Should we leave then?"

Daphne replied, "Sure, Harry."

Harry took out his Marauder's Map and saw that both the Carrows were in the staff room on the Second Floor. He was happy to note that the Seventh Floor was completely deserted as it was the Christmas holidays. He shrunk the sword of Gryffindor in size and carried it along with him.

Dobby took Daphne while Kreacher took Harry and soon all four of them were standing outside the wall of the Room of Requirement.

Harry was keeping a check on the Marauder's Map in case there were any changes in the locations of the people in the castle. After making sure that there was no danger, he told Dobby to go and fetch Neville.

After a few seconds, a door materialized in the wall and it soon opened. Both Harry and Daphne looked on as Neville stepped out of the room as cautiously as possible with his wand tightly gripped in his hand.

As soon as he saw Harry, his face broke into a wide smile. He ran forward, hugged Harry and gave a roar of delight, "I knew you'd come. I just knew it, Harry!"

Harry grinned at Neville's enthusiasm and returned the hug.

After a few moments, Neville broke the hug and slowly turned around to look at Daphne. He gave her a rather apprehensive look before he spoke to Harry again, "What is she doing here, Harry?"

Harry replied, "She's on our side, Neville. If you trust me, then you'll wait till I explain everything to you."

Neville nodded his agreement and asked them both to follow him into the room.

As Harry followed, he heard Neville call out to unseen people:

"Look who it is! Didn't I tell you?"

As Harry emerged into the room, there were several screams and yells: "HARRY!", "It's Potter, "it's POTTER!"

He had a confused impression of coloured hangings, of lamps and many faces. The next moment, he was engulfed, hugged, pounded on the back, his hair ruffled, his hands shaken, by all the eight people in the room. He might as well have just have won a Quidditch final.

"Okay, okay, calm down!" Neville called, and as the crowd backed away, Harry was able to take in their surroundings. The room was nothing like the one they had been using for the DA meetings. It was enormous, and rather looked like the interior of a particularly sumptuous tree house, or perhaps a gigantic ship's cabin. Multicoloured hammocks were strung from the ceiling and from a balcony that ran around the dark wood-panelled and windowless walls, which were covered in bright tapestry hangings: Harry saw the gold Gryffindor lion, emblazoned on scarlet; the black badger of Hufflepuff, set against yellow; and the bronze eagle of Ravenclaw, on blue. The silver and green of Slytherin alone were absent. There were bulging bookcases, a few broomsticks propped against the walls, and in the corner, a large wooden-case wireless.

He turned around to look at the people in the room. Neville and Seamus were the only Gryffindors present. Susan and Hannah were the ones from Hufflepuff and to his surprise there were four people from Ravenclaw, namely, Luna Lovegood, Terry Boot, Lisa Turpin and Anthony Goldstein.

They were now all staring at Daphne, uncertainty clear on their faces. On seeing the looks on their faces, Harry spoke out loud, "Allow me to introduce you to Daphne Greengrass, my girlfriend."

Neville's jaw dropped down in shock at this announcement. Loud gasps were heard in the room and there were even a couple of sighs from Susan and Hannah.

Neville spluttered out, "But, Harry, what about Ron and Hermione? And weren't you with Ginny?"

Harry responded, "They abandoned me in the middle of the war. They chose to leave me alone to die rather than helping me out like true friends would. They turned their backs on me when I needed them the most."

There was silence in the room at this proclamation. Harry continued, "As for Ginny, I broke up with her at the end of last year. We just got together for some time due to mutual attraction. I just wanted to experience being normal for once in my life. As soon as that dream got shattered, I knew I had to end it. "

Harry was about to breakdown, when Daphne came up to him and gave him a light kiss before engulfing him into a hug, This was only the second time that Harry had talked about his friends abandoning him and she knew how bad he felt about it.

The group of eight looked at Daphne comforting Harry and the sight before them made all doubts vanish from their minds. It became obvious to them that both Harry and Daphne cared for each other, a lot.

After Harry had withdrawn from Daphne's hug, Neville asked him, "So how did you two meet?"

A grin appeared on Harry's face as he began, "Well, it started the day I was drowning in a frozen pond and this heroic young lady saved me..."

He told them everything that had happened in the last few days, including the details about Voldemort's Horcruxes. He'd thought about hiding the details about the Horcruxes, but he knew that at this point, with the war at their doorstep, there was no point in hiding anything. He also knew that everybody in the room was fighting for the good side and thus he was not really hesitant in divulging information.

A good hour and a half had passed by the time he had finished off his explanation. He looked around the room and found that everyone was looking at both Harry and Daphne with awe on their faces.

Hannah spoke up, "You guys were unbelievably brilliant. I especially liked what you pulled off at Gringotts. That was a very smart idea, Daphne."

Lisa scoffed at this, "What about the thing with Malfoy, huh? I thought that was positively awesome. Good one, both of you. The stupid blonde had it coming for some time now."

Harry had a big smile on his face. He was happy to see that everyone in the room was giving Daphne her due credit. He was even pleased to see the big smile on Daphne's face.

Neville was the one to speak next, "After all those years, I for one can't believe that Snape's a good guy. He's done so much for the Wizarding World and nobody found out about it till a few days back."

Almost everybody in the room nodded their heads in agreement. Even they were having trouble getting accustomed to Snape as the good guy.

Harry took a look at the Marauder's Map and spoke up, "We'll talk later guys. As of now, we need to destroy the Horcrux in this room. I know for certain that right now there is no one outside the room. I would ask you all to step out of the room with me for a minute. As a precaution, use the Disillusionment charms."

All of them agreed and soon made their way out of the room. Harry saw the door vanishing and replaced by a wall. He took the usual three rounds and kept thinking about the room of hidden things.

Soon, a door appeared and both he and Daphne stepped in. They found themselves in a rather dirty room with various articles lying around here and there. Harry saw the Vanishing Cabinet which the Death Eaters had used to enter the school last year, and shuddered at the memory of the horrible night. However, Daphne's soft hand in his helped him to calm down.

He then spotted it. The diadem was lying of the top of a few books next to a tiara. He was about to rush and grab it before Daphne grabbed his hand and stopped him,

She pointed her wand at the area near the diadem and muttered, "_Specialis Revelio_."

To Harry's relief, Severus had not chosen to add any enchantments near the diadem. He heard Daphne whisper, "Always better to be safe."

He smiled gratefully at her and she pecked him on the cheek in response.

Harry moved forward and grabbed the Diadem. He let it fall to the floor before taking out the miniaturized Sword and enlarging it.

He handed the sword over to Daphne and just said, "Be my guest."

Daphne took the sword from Harry without a moment of hesitation. In a few seconds, a loud scream could be heard from the diadem as the sword went through it.

The last accessible part of Voldemort's soul had been destroyed. The end was near, and if things went according to plan, so was a bright future.

(A/N: Not too long remaining people. We're approaching the end of the story. I've got a basic idea of how I want to end it but that might change with time.

I'm thinking of starting a story with a Harry/Lisa or a Harry/Tracey pairing. Let me know which one you'd prefer. I am personally more inclined towards the Harry/Lisa one as I haven't come across any story so far with them together.

My other story 'Prisoners of Azkaban' will also end soon. It's become too violent and am running out of ideas to kill off people. A maximum of three chapters are remaining in that story.

Finally, you remember our deal, don't you? I write... and you review!)


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Harry and Daphne both walked into the sitting room at Spinners End. Severus was already seated on one of the couches and was apparently waiting for them to show up.

He drawled, "About time you two showed up. Where've you been?"

In response, Harry just took out the broken pieces of the Diadem and showed it to him. Severus stared at it for a few seconds before realization dawned on his face. However hard he tried, he couldn't stop the smile coming on his face.

He tried his best to sound disdainful, "Ok, you kids managed to destroy another piece of the Dark Lord's soul. I offer my compliments on a job well done. So, what else is new?"

Both Harry and Daphne grinned at Severus's lame attempt to act indifferent. However, none of them commented on it and launched into the story of what transpired at the Room of Requirements.

When they finished their tale, Severus appeared to be deep in thought for a few moments before remarking,

"Well, I doubt that the Dark Lord would be expecting any retaliation, so the element of surprise will definitely work in our favour. However, we have to ensure that we have adequate number of people fighting for our side if we want to stand a chance."

Harry asked him, "Severus, what numbers are we talking about here? Just how many Death Eaters should we expect? And is there a chance that he may involve Giants and the Dementors?"

Severus again thought for a moment before replying, "The Dark Lord seems to have lost his mind a little since he got hold of the Deathstick. I assume that he'll involve all of the eighty Death Eaters under his command in the attack. I would also say that a fair number of Dementors can be expected. However, I highly doubt that he'll be involving a large number of giants. If he does involve them then it'll be one or two at the most."

Daphne couldn't help but ask, "But why would he not involve more giants. I mean, he knows that they could crush down anyone and at anytime."

Snape responded, "Simply because, like I mentioned earlier, he wouldn't be expecting any retaliation. The Dark Lord's arrogance and overconfidence is what has proved to be his undoing every single time that he's tried to kill Potter. I wouldn't be surprised if the same thing happens this time too."

He continued, "But this time, I hope that things work out differently. This time, I hope that we can finish him off for good."

Harry's face was filled with doubt, "With the power of the Elder wand I suppose that I can take care of Riddle. However, we still have the snake to destroy. Also, his large forces are not going to sit back quietly while I take their Master down. We'll have to ensure that they're taken care of first before I go into battle with him."

He sat down with his head in his hands, "How are we going to manage all this? How do you expect things to turn out differently this time, Severus?"

He felt a soft hand lift his face up and saw that Daphne was looking at him with a grin on her face. Her soft voice helped to allay a lot of his fears,

"Because unlike the other times you faced him Harry, this time we're going to have a plan."

------------------

After a couple of days, Neville Longbottom found himself seated in a place which he'd have never expected to visit even in his dreams – the house of Severus Snape.

Both Harry and Daphne didn't want to visit the Room of Requirements as the rest of the DA was back. Snape had unwillingly disclosed the location of his house to Neville. He knew that plans for the retaliation needed to be discussed, and that this was the most convenient way to do it.

While Harry was sipping his coffee, Neville asked him, "So, what's with all the secrecy, Harry? Why couldn't you just pop down to the Room of Requirements? All the DA members who came back from their holidays would have been extremely pleased to see both you and Daphne."

Harry put down his coffee mug on the table and responded, "We have our reasons, Neville. A lot of them will be clear to you once Daphne explains the plan we came up with. What I want to know is, what have you told them so far?"

Neville replied, "We haven't told them anything Harry, just like you wanted us to do. It was hard to hide the fact that you came back, but we managed to do it."

Harry appeared to be in thought for a few moments before speaking, "That's great, Neville. It'd be better if I made my appearance on the day of the attack. Did you tell them about our situation?"

Neville responded, "Yes, Harry. I told them that we are going to fight if there's an attack on Hogsmeade. We have a total of eighteen students who are ready to fight. Only one person opposed the idea saying that it was too risky. So, I personally took the liberty of obliviating Michael Corner and throwing him out of the room."

Harry grinned as the image of a dazed Michael Corner lying on the floor outside the Room of Requirements came into his head. He said,

"That's one of the reasons I didn't want to make an appearance in the Room of Requirements again, Neville. People like Michael Corner would have unwillingly fought in the battle just because Harry Potter was back and they had no option but to do it. I don't want people like this on our side. I would prefer to have those who are completely committed to the cause and are not treating the retaliation as a moral obligation."

Neville nodded in response. He knew what Harry was saying was right. Now, they might be a number short but they were sure that all the people currently present in the room were ready to put their lives on the line for the cause of defeating Voldemort.

He still had a question, "So, now we know that everyone in the room is committed. Why don't you and Daphne make an appearance now?"

Harry replied, "I don't want anyone to know about Daphne right now. It's a part of the plan we came up with. "

He turned to Daphne and said, "Daphne, why don't you explain?"

Daphne obliged and started explaining the plan to Neville. As soon as she had finished, Neville had a very worried look on his face.

He asked Harry, "Are you sure you want to do this, Harry?"

Harry's reply was curt and to the point, "Yes, Neville. I have made my decision and this is the way I want to go about things."

Neville was still having his doubts, "Harry, this is going to take some doing. I'll have to spend a lot of time convincing the seven others who were in the room that day. "

Harry responded, "I trust you, Neville. Right now, I have no option but to trust the others present in the room. I can just hope that you'll be able to convince them."

Neville finally decided to give in, "It's you decision Harry, and I'll not stand in your way. I just want you to think about it, okay mate?"

Harry nodded and Neville continued, "As far as convincing the others goes, I'll do my best, Harry. And don't worry, from what I've seen of the others so far, they can surely keep a secret."

Harry thanked Neville for all the help and after a few more minutes of discussion about the plan, Neville left for Hogwarts with Kreacher.

As Harry lay in bed that night, with Daphne snuggling next to him, he couldn't help but wonder what tomorrow would bring.

He knew that the time had come. As he looked at the girl lying next to him, he knew that somehow he had to succeed; even if it lead to his death in the end.

She deserved a better life and he would try his hardest to ensure that she got one.

--------------------

The next morning Hermione Granger got up when she felt something burning in her pocket. She quickly got up from the bed and emptied out her pockets .She found that the object which was burning hot was none other than the fake Galleon which they used to inform people about the DA meetings. She stared at the Galleon for a few moments before a message appeared on it.

She stared at it in horror as she read:

_Death Eaters plan to attack Hogsmeade. _

_We're fighting. _

_Apparate to Zonko's by 11 am if you want to join._

_Inform others if you can._

She quickly dressed and ran down the stairs. She went to each bedroom and woke up everyone in the house. After a couple of minutes, four extremely sleepy people were standing in the dining hall at Shell Cottage. They were all staring at Hermione as if she had gone nuts.

She quickly showed the Galleon to Bill whose face fell as soon as he read the message. The Galleon was passed around and the look on everyone's faces changed as they saw the engraving on it.

Bill was the first one to speak, "What the hell are we going to do?"

Hermione had thought a little about this when she was getting dressed. She responded, "There's only one thing to do, Bill. We have to go and help. Before that, you should get in touch with as many Order members as possible. We have exactly two hours before we're supposed to reach there."

Bill nodded in agreement. Both Fleur and Ginny also agreed that it the best possible course of action. However, Ron just stood there with a defiant look on his face.

He drawled, "I'm not going anywhere. I'm not going to risk my life because a certain bunch of idiots think that they could defeat You-Know-Who and his forces."

Everyone other that Hermione gaped at him in shock. Hermione just stood there for a second, before she took out her wand and pointed it straight in between Ron's eyes. Ron who had forgotten his wand in his bedroom was defenceless.

Hermione screamed, "I can't believe that I ever thought you were my friend. Screw you, Ronald Weasley."

With that she shouted, "_Petrificus Totalus_"

Ron's eyes became wide with shock and he fell down to the floor as the spell hit him.

Hermione turned to the others, "Good riddance to utter rubbish. Anybody else has any problems?"

They all nodded in the negative. Ginny however asked, "Hermione, what about Harry?"

Hermione replied, "As far as I know, he doesn't carry his fake Galleon with him. Harry still has some things to do before he can face down You-Know-Who. It'd be better if he did not know about the attack."

Ginny nodded and Hermione appreciated the fact that she didn't ask any more questions.

Bill dressed up and apparated out with a view to get hold of as many Order members as possible.

Both Fleur and Ginny left for their respective rooms to get ready. As Hermione walked back to her room, she thought about Harry and hoped that he would be safe.

This may as well turn out to be the last day of her life but she knew that she'd fight till the end. However, she couldn't help but shed a tear when she realized that she may never be able to tell Harry how she really felt about him.

----------------

Severus Snape had managed to get a hold of all the teachers other than the Carrows in the Headmaster's Office. He had gotten the Pensieve back from Spinners End and had just used it to show Professor McGonagall his memories prior to Dumbledore's death. She'd only agreed to do so because he'd handed his wand over to the other teachers and was standing wandless under the guard of the various teachers in the room.

As soon as Minerva McGonagall emerged from the Pensieve, the shock was evident on her face. She managed to compose herself and related the tale to her fellow Professors.

The tale ended, several apologies were made and Severus was handed his wand back.

Minerva asked Severus, "But why tell us now, Severus? "

Severus replied, "Because the Hogsmeade trip is just an excuse to get the students out of the castle. The Dark Lord is going to attack Hogsmeade."

Everyone gasped when they heard this. Severus ignored them and continued, "A group of our final year students known as the DA is going to be leading the resistance. I want all the teachers to provide them as much help as possible. I would suggest that you find a way to be inside Zonko's at around 11 am. The shop has been shut down for quite some time now, and that is where they plan to meet."

Professor Sprout spoke up, "But, Severus, what about the kids? Can't you cancel the trip?"

Severus replied, "I'm sorry, Pomona, but that is not in my hands. The only reason that I could get you lot here was because the Carrows are going to the various student dormitories and forcing all the children to leave for Hogsmeade. As soon as something out of the ordinary happens from my side, they'll report it to the Dark Lord and my cover will be blown. I can't risk that happening."

McGonagall gave him a look of incredulity, "Children's lives are at stake and all you can think of is your cover, Severus?"

Severus wasn't happy on hearing this. He hissed, "For once in your life Minerva, Trust me. Everything's planned out right now and like our old and balmy Headmaster would say... we have to do this for the Greater Good."

He said the last words with such venom that even Minerva McGonagall didn't have the heart to put forth any sort of retort.

Professor Flitwick still had a couple of questions, "Err... Severus, why have you covered the portrait of Dumbledore? And more importantly, what about Harry Potter... shouldn't he know about this attack?"

Severus replied, "Albus Dumbledore was a stupid, good for nothing old man. I have uncovered some secrets about him which I don't really feel like sharing right now. However, once the war ends I'll make sure that the entire Wizarding World realizes what a fool he was."

The other teachers were staring at him with disbelief.

Severus continued, "I am not really in a position to say much about Harry Potter right now. I don't know much about Potter's whereabouts at this moment of time."

Snape convinced himself that he was not lying. He seriously didn't know where Harry was at that time. He could've been in Gringotts, or in Zonko's or at Spinner's end.

Professor Sinistra whimpered, "But Harry Potter's the Chosen one. What're we going to do without him?"

Severus responded with a loud bellow, "Something which we should have done years ago. We going to stand on our own and we're going to fight"

-----------------

Harry was waiting for Daphne to make an appearance in the sitting room. It was already 11 am and they should've left by now. As he was waiting a pair of hands grabbed him from behind and he let out a yelp.

He soon realized who it was and turned around and lifted the Invisibility Cloak off her shoulders.

He said. "So, I see that you have already taken the Cloak."

She responded, "Yup."

"Are you sure you are ready for this?"

"Yup."

"Have you informed Severus about what he has to do?"

"Yup."

"Do you have the sword with you?"

"Yup."

"Do you have the emergency Portkey which Severus prepared for you?"

"Yup."

He could tell that she was playing with him and trying to calm both his and her nerves a bit. He decided to shock her,

"Daphne, I love you."

"Yup...... Whatt?"

He smiled at her and said, "I said that I love you."

She let out a big 'Whoopee' and jumped into his arms so that she could respond in kind, "I love you too, Harry."

Harry felt a knot loosen in his stomach. He grinned at her, "Well, although I would love to snog you senseless right now, I think it's time we left."

She smiled and placed a small kiss on his lips.

Harry put his Invisibility Cloak back on her, so that it would cover the whole of her body.

Within a few moments the dining hall at Spinners End was left empty, as they had disapparated away.

-------------

As soon as they appeared in Zonko's, they realized that it was completely filled with people. Confusion reigned supreme in the place with everyone unaware of what to do. Daphne was hidden under the Invisibility Cloak and Harry might as well have been invisible too, as nobody noticed him in the crowd. To them, he was just another person popping in.

He surveyed the shop and was surprised to see that almost the entire Order was present there. He had honestly not expected so many of them to turn up. In his mind, he appreciated the fact that the Order had such a good communications network.

As he was looking at the familiar faces of a few members of the DA, there was a scream from behind him,

"HARRY!"

There was a sudden silence around the room as soon as his name was heard. Everyone turned around to where the scream had come from. They all gaped as they saw that Harry Potter was standing right in front of them.

Harry obviously recognised the voice of the person who screamed. How could he not?

He quickly turned around and came face to face with that person.

Standing right in front of him was one half of his supposed best friends, Hermione Granger.

(A/N: I think it would be wise to end this chapter here *wicked grin*

You might have noticed that there was a bit of ambiguity in this chapter, especially in the conversation with Neville. It's there for a reason and it'll be explained in the coming chapters.

Also, as for my next story, I find myself in a bit of a dilemma. The people at have deleted Lisa Turpin from the list of characters and I don't want to create a Harry/OC story. Considering that a lot of reviewers asked me about converting both of my present stories into Harry/Hermione/Daphne, I am currently toying with the idea of making my next one a threesome story. This one will stay a Harry/Daphne.

My idea is of a Harry/Lisa/Tracey with Harry and Tracey listed as the main pairing on the site. Let me know what you think.

Please review. Thanks to those who already did!)


	16. Chapter 16

(A/N: In case any of you got the wrong idea: Harry is not trying to hide when he apparates to Zonko's. Daphne's the one hidden under the Invisibility Cloak. Harry was just not noticed because of the large crowd present in the shop.

Alright then, on to the story again...)

_Standing right in front of him was one half of his supposed best friends, Hermione Granger._

After a moment of awkward silence, there was a shout of joy by Remus Lupin. This was followed by a loud whoop from the Weasley twins. And then, all hell broke loose.

The Golden Boy Extraordinaire was back and all that the crowd wanted to do was touch him, shake hands with him or just speak a couple of words to him. It took a long time for the crowd to settle down but it finally did.

All this while, Hermione just stood frozen in her place, tears falling from her eyes. As the crowd cleared, she could see Harry once again. It was a few seconds before Harry looked in her direction. Green eyes met brown and Hermione couldn't stop herself. She ran up and engulfed Harry in a big hug,

"Harry, I'm so sorry. I'm really so sorry."

Harry didn't return her hug and slowly stepped back. Hermione was a little taken aback and fresh tears came to her eyes again.

However, even after Harry's subtle rebuttal, Hermione didn't give up. She continued to ask for forgiveness,

"Harry, please try and understand... I was a fool and decided to listen to my head rather than my heart. I made the wrong choice and I have been regretting it ever since. Not a single day has gone by when I haven't cried myself to sleep... Please forgive me this one time, Harry. I beg of you..."

Hermione's pleas had drawn the attention of almost every person present in Zonko's. They were now all looking the scene developing in front of them. Harry saw that the entire crowd was staring and he came to a decision,

"Everyone makes mistakes, Hermione. Even I have made quite a few in my life. Not forgiving you would be rather hypocritical of me. So yes... I do forgive you. "

Hermione's tear-stricken face lit up on hearing these words. As she flung herself into Harry's arms, there was a loud cheer from the crowd. This time Harry hugged her back.

Harry knew that a war approached and that this wasn't the time to get into an argument with Hermione. He was not one to easily forgive and forget. The time for retribution would come later, of that he was sure about.

After a few moments, Hermione stepped back from the hug and spoke to him,

"Harry, I've been doing some serious thinking. Once this is over, we really need to talk."

To his surprise, she then gave him a wide smile and a somewhat lingering kiss on the cheek. As Hermione went back into the crowd, Harry could've sword that he heard Daphne snorting from under the Invisibility Cloak.

Neville Longbottom had seen enough. He knew that they were wasting precious time and decided that it was time for him to act. He bellowed, "Attention everybody!"

Everyone's faces snapped back to where Neville was standing. As soon as he was sure that he had everyone's attention, he started speaking,

"As you all must be knowing by now, we are expecting You-Know-Who's army to attack Hogsmeade sometime today afternoon. As it is also a Hogsmeade weekend, even the lives of several students from Hogwarts are in danger along with the residents of Hogsmeade."

There was a rather loud intake of breath from some of the Order members who were unaware about the Hogsmeade weekend.

Neville however chose to ignore them and continued, "We're all gathered here to fight the evil that encroaches upon us. Some of us were aware of the attack from a few days and have taken the liberty of preparing a plan. Harry would be able to explain it better."

Harry took his cue and began speaking, "Well, first of all, it's great to see everyone in the room. It's been a really long time."

The Weasley twins chorused, "Good to see you too, Harry."

Harry grinned at the two pranksters standing in front of the crowd and continued, "As for the plan, we have come up with some ideas that may help us to end the war today itself."

There were a few gasps of surprise from the crowd before Harry spoke again, "We are working basically on the element of surprise."

He looked at the Weasley twins, "Fred and George here have been kind enough to supply us with Decoy Detonators and a large amount of Peruvian Instant Darkness powder. I expect everyone in this room to carry these on them throughout the duration of the attack. They can be extremely handy in case you need to make a quick escape. They've also supplied us with replicas of an Invisibility Cloak. However, they've also given the warning that the Cloaks may fail you at any time. They haven't been tested properly, so please think twice before you use them."

As soon as Harry finished, Fred and George gave small bows to the rest of the room. Susan Bones and Anthony Goldstein had appeared in their shop with a couple of elves and had told them about the upcoming attack. The twins were only too willing to help.

After a few seconds, Harry spoke up again, "We've also managed to obtain the support of the elves. Quite a few of the DA members have been co-ordinating with them regarding the battle plans. The elves will be popping out people who're injured or in need and taking them to a safe location. This safe location is nearby and is also being guarded by around ten elves. Madam Pomfrey has also been sent there from the Hogwarts Infirmary. You can be rest assured that you'll be taken care of if you do land up there."

Both Harry and Daphne had chosen the Shrieking Shack as an ideal safe location. It was near the battlefield and thus the elves could easily pop people in there without draining out too much of their magical resources.

He continued, "As a large number of elves would be involved in the rescue operation, we've very few who will be fighting with us. However, considering that a large number of people turned up today, we should be fine."

Everyone was looking at Harry in awe. This seemed to be some plan. Daphne couldn't help but grin under the Invisibility Cloak at the looks on people's faces.

Neville spoke up this time, "Harry will be too modest to admit it, but there's something he has managed to do all on his own. He has somehow managed to convince the Goblins to provide anti-apparition wards over almost the whole of Hogsmeade. As warding is one of the specialities of Goblins, it didn't take much time to setup. These wards are also very special as they are keyed to the Dark Mark. Anyone can apparate in but if anybody with a Dark Mark on their arms tries to apparate out then they won't be able to do it. We intend to either capture or get rid of those assholes today itself."

Everyone was gaping at Harry now as they all knew that getting help from the Goblins was a nearly impossible thing to do.

Bill Weasley, who had been a curse-breaker at Gringotts, had a confused expression on his face. He couldn't resist asking,

"Err... Harry, I have worked at Gringotts for some quite time now. I know how these wards work. Putting up a normal ward is easy enough for the Goblins. However, for keying them to the Dark Mark, they'd not be able to do it without having someone with the Dark Mark alongside them. How did they manage to do it without having someone?"

Harry knew that the time had come. The crowd was in for quite a shock. He replied with a sombre expression on his face, "They were able to do it because we did have someone with the Dark Mark standing alongside them."

Loud whispers broke out in the shop. Remus Lupin was the first one to speak, "What do you mean, Harry? Which Death Eater would help the Goblins to setup wards which might eventually lead to the fall of their Master?"

Harry could sense that all eyes were on him. He quietly replied,

"Severus Snape"

There was stunned silence at the end of this sentence. However, it proved to be the calm before the storm as it was soon followed by an uproar. Everyone was trying to speak at the same time and Harry couldn't understand a word of what they were trying to convey.

Finally, Kingsley's voice broke out, "But he's a Death Eater, Harry. He was the one who killed Dumbledore."

Neville shouted, "SILENCE"

The crowd quietened down a little and Harry spoke, "Look guys, I don't have time to tell you the whole story but I can tell you for sure that Severus Snape is a fighter for the light. Dumbledore planned his own death with Snape for a reason which I am not going to disclose right now. You're going to have to trust me on this. Can you do that?"

Although they did it very reluctantly, the entire crowd muttered, "Yes"

Harry smiled at the positive response and continued, "Alright then, back to the plan. We're expecting an attack with nearly eighty Death Eaters, quite a few Dementors and a couple of Giants. We're going to have to divide ourselves into groups and fight if we're going to have any chance of winning. I assume everyone here knows the Patronus charm."

Harry was pleased to see that there were affirmative nods from nearly everyone in the crowd, "Alright then, everyone should keep their happy memory ready at all times. The other members of the group should provide the required backup for anyone who isn't being able to deal with the Dementors. Also, when fighting the Dementors, please do not use the products of the Weasley twins as they won't be of any help. They can sense your souls and you would not be able to divert their attention. Is that clear?"

To Harry's surprise, all of them chorused together "Yes Sir!"

Harry couldn't hold back a grin as he continued, "If you find yourselves against more than two Death Eaters at any point of time, then do not wait to use the escape methods provided to you. As for the Giants, we have got some help coming. The elves have been able to track Hagrid down to a nearby cave. He was informed of our plans by Neville and he'll be coming to Hogsmeade alongwith his half brother as soon as one of the elves informs him that the battle has begun."

Minerva was a little confused, "What half brother are you talking about, Harry?"

Harry grinned and replied, "Hagrid's half brother is a giant named Grawp. Hagrid had been hiding him in the Forbidden Forest for the last two years."

Minerva had a stunned expression on her face and Sprout nearly fainted on hearing this. However, they were both able to recover soon and Harry continued,

"I want there to be a teacher, an order member, a couple of students and an elf in each group. Based on our numbers, that'll give us a total of about ten groups. I know that the odds are slightly against us but if we fight this properly and according to plan then we can win this!"

As soon as he said it, there was certain wave of optimism spreading across the room. As far as they had a fighting chance, everyone in the room was ready to put their lives on the line.

The wave of optimism was short-lived as Ginny spoke up, "But Harry, what about You-Know-Who?"

Everyone's eyes again turned towards Harry. He replied, "I have been informed that he would not be taking part in the attack in the beginning. He only intends to appear in the end once his minions have taken care of all the dirty work. However, with our surprise attack I wouldn't be surprised if one the Death Eaters decides to summon him earlier. Once he does arrive, leave him to me. It's my destiny to fight him and I'll take care of him."

Everyone was shocked to see such a display of confidence from the young man in front of them. They decided to take his word for it and started forming groups.

Hermione was even more shocked than anyone else. She had kept rather quiet till now and decided to approach Harry. She went upto him and said,

"You shouldn't be doing that, Harry. We haven't found all the objects till now and till then you'll have no chance."

Hermione had tried to keep the mention of the Horcruxes as subtle as possible and Harry appreciated that. However, he couldn't stop himself from letting out a sarcastic remark,

"You're right, Hermione. We together haven't been able to locate those objects. However, with some help, I have been able to do so. So you need not worry."

Hermione's jaw dropped at this statement. She couldn't believe that Harry had taken care of the Horcruxes already. His sarcastic remark did hurt a bit but she knew she deserved it.

Ginny who was standing nearby asked, "Who helped you, Harry?"

Harry replied, "Snape and Dobby."

Harry knew that he was not lying as both Severus and Dobby had helped him. He had no intention of telling them about Daphne. It would lead to quite a big disruption and that might hurt their battle plans.

Both Hermione and Ginny were satisfied by his response, and nodded. Hermione in particular heaved a sigh of relief. While listening to the Deluminator, she had gotten a distinct impression that Harry was conversing with a girl. She now assumed that it was Snape who he was talking to, and she was rather relieved.

Harry suddenly noticed something and decided to change the topic as soon as possible, "Hermione, where's Ron?"

Both Hermione's and Ginny's faces fell at this. He could also see that both Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had heard him and that their faces had gotten an angry look as soon as they heard Ron's name.

Hermione responded, "Ron was not willing to risk his life. He decided not to come."

Harry felt his face grow red with anger when he heard this. He couldn't believe that he had chosen to befriend such a selfish and useless prick.

They were all distracted by a large number of pops as the fight elves had arrived. They had also brought with them the various equipments which had been stored in the Room of Requirements for safekeeping. They started distributing the equipment among the people.

Harry took the opportunity to get up and leave from Hermione and Ginny's company. In order to push all Ron related thoughts out of his mind, he decided to converse a bit with a few of the other people in the room.

He first went and thanked the twins for their help. Then he went and talked a bit with the other members of the DA such as Lavender Brown and Ernie Macmillan. He was surprised to see that even Cho Chang was one of the DA members in the crowd. He talked with her for a few minutes before leaving to talk to Professor McGonagall.

Minerva McGonagall asked him about the Caterwauling charms in the village and he assured her that they had been turned off by the Death Eaters themselves as a lot them would be apparating into Hogsmeade. After a few more minutes of discussion about Hogwarts he went to where Remus was standing.

Harry tried to begin with asking Remus about how he had been, but he was interrupted by a hug. After withdrawing from the hug, Remus apologized on behalf of Tonks as she couldn't be there. Harry knew about her pregnancy and told him not to worry about it.

While he was talking to Remus, there was another pop behind him. He looked around to see a house elf staring at him,

The house elf squeaked, "My name Trixy and Trixy working at Hogwarts. Headmaster Snape take Trixy with him to Malfoy Manor and now him send Trixy with message for Harry Potter sir. The message is that dark wizards coming here any minute."

With that, Trixy popped out.

Harry looked around the room and bellowed,

"They're coming. It's on."

(A/N: Well, that's another chapter done *Yay*

It took me a bit longer to put this up because I had to ensure that the battle plan was suitable. I hope it lives up to the mark.

I am having a bit of a difficulty in deciding about what characters to kill in the battle. I don't want to do a JKR and kill people off just because it's a battle. Any suggestions/ideas will be welcome.

I hope you understand Harry's reasoning for letting off Hermione for the 'time being'. There'll be more to come regarding that in the coming chapters.

Finally, am sorry that Daphne wasn't that involved in this chapter. She's obviously the one who came up with the majority of the plan. However, as she was under the Cloak, I couldn't give her much of a part in this chapter.

Thanks to those who read and reviewed so far. Please continue to do so!)


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

"_They're coming. It's on."_

As soon as the crowd heard this, all eyes were focused on Harry. It was as if they were all waiting for their instructions.

Harry shouted, "Does everybody have all the required equipment on them."

There was a loud chorus of, "Yes!"

Harry had a determined look on his face as he spoke again, "Alright then, I want atleast one group to cover all the major areas. Use your Invisibility Cloaks and apparate somewhere near to the areas in question. The students are most likely to be in the Three Broomsticks or Honeydukes, so I expect two groups to cover these areas. Remus and Professor Flitwick, can your groups cover the Three Broomsticks?"

Both Remus and Flitwick nodded vigorously. Harry was pleased and in less than two minutes he quickly assigned groups for various locations such as Honeydukes, Dervish & Banges, Gladrags and Madam Puddifoot's.

Harry's spoke again, "Well then, I guess the time has finally come. Remember those people who laid down their lives for this cause. We have a chance to ensure that their sacrifice did not go to waste. Remember that..."

He paused for a second for dramatic effect before shouting, "Now GO!"

As soon as he said this, a large number of pops were heard inside Zonko's as nearly everyone apparated away. However, to Harry's surprise Hermione was still there.

He asked in a slightly irritated tone, "What are you doing here, Hermione?"

She replied, "I'm waiting for you, Harry. I can't let you go after You-Know-Who alone."

Harry responded, "Your group needs your help, Hermione. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

Hermione insisted, "But Harry..."

He nearly shouted now, "I said I'll be fine Hermione. Please Go!"

Hermione stepped back a little at Harry's mini outburst. She had a slightly hurt look on her face when she apparated away.

As Harry was surveying the empty shop, a couple of hands grabbed him from behind.

He heard Daphne speak, "Are you alright, Harry?"

He replied in an un-convincing manner, "Yes, I'll be fine."

Daphne detected the uncertainty in Harry's tone, "You know that she only waited because she cares about you, don't you?"

Harry responded in a bitter tone, "Well, she should have thought of that at the time when she decided to abandon me in that tent. It doesn't really matter to me now if she cares for me or not."

They waited in silence for a few moments before Harry spoke again, "Are you ready, Daphne? You know you don't have to do this."

Daphne replied with an assured tone, "Don't worry about me, Harry. I want to do this and I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

She got a grin on her face as she continued, "And you know that am kind of an expert on destroying Horcruxes now. I've destroyed two already. Another one shouldn't be that hard."

Harry couldn't help but grin at this. He lightly laid a kiss on her lips.

As soon as he had withdrawn from the kiss, he heard a number of pops outside the door of the shop. He could also hear the distinct rumble of the Giant's footsteps. It appeared that even they weren't far away.

Daphne had also realized that Voldemort's Army was drawing closer. She spoke to him,

"Now, Harry, please try and stay inside as long as you can. We can't afford to have anything happen to you."

Harry grumbled, "Oh come on Daphne, you know I won't be able to stay inside while the rest are out there fighting."

Daphne put her hand on his face, "I know that, Harry. But one wrong step on your part could lead to disastrous consequences. Just make sure that you choose the right time to come out in the open, alright?"

Harry nodded his assent. Daphne smiled at him as she put on the Invisibility Cloak.

He heard her say," I love you, Harry."

He responded in kind, "I love you too, Daphne."

Harry had a brief thought about whether these would be the last words he would ever speak to Daphne. However, his thought was interrupted by the sound of Daphne apparating out.

He steadied himself and waited for a few minutes. It was just a matter of time before he could hear the sound of spellfire coming from outside. He still decided to keep his patience and kept on waiting, hoping against hope that everyone out there was safe.

After some time had passed by, his Gryffindor side couldn't take it anymore. He quickly picked up one of Fred and George's Invisibility Cloaks and put it around himself.

After steadying himself for a moment, he was gone.

----------------

Harry had apparated to the alley beside the three broomsticks. As soon as he had settled down, he saw the most amazing sight in front of him.

He saw a couple of Giants dealing blows with one another. He recognized one of the Giants as Grawp and also realized that Grawp was quite a bit smaller than Voldemort's Giant.

He wanted to help Grawp but he was unsure of what to do. He thought about it for a moment and suddenly remembered something. If it worked on a bloody dragon, maybe it could work on a giant also.

He pulled out him wand from under the cloak, took aim as carefully as possible and shouted, "_Conjunctiva_"

He missed and hit the Giant on the head instead. The Giant was unaffected by it and he didn't even seem to notice that a spell had hit him.

Harry cursed and took aim again. This time his spell was on target and the Giant howled in pain and lifted his mammoth hands to his eyes.

The spell was not exactly as effective as he was expecting it to be. The Giant had even not fallen to the ground.

However, the momentary distraction was all that Grawp needed to deliver a solid knockout punch right across the other Giants jaw.

The punch worked wonders and the Giant was knocked out cold. To Harry's horror, the Giant took down nearly half of the Three Broomsticks with his fall. Harry tried to quickly scurry out of the alley but he was hit in the head by one of the falling debris. His head started bleeding profusely. He felt dazed for a moment or two, but managed to recover and performed one of the Healing spells which Daphne had taught him on himself.

The spell worked its magic and the bleeding stopped. Harry managed to recover soon and his world came back into focus again. He decided to make his way out of the alley.

As soon as he came completely out of the alley, he was astounded at the scene before him. It was complete chaos. There were spells flying everywhere, some shops were on fire, there were bodies on the ground and quite a few house elves were popping in and out with children and people who needed help.

However, there was one body on the ground which was clearly visible. He rushed to the body while making sure that his Invisibility Cloak was on. He dropped down on his knees when he saw the bruised and battered face of Hagrid. He looked around and saw the fallen body of another giant next to him. It seemed as if Hagrid had taken care of the other giant somehow, but almost managed to kill himself while doing it.

He checked for a pulse and was relieved to find that there was one. However, Hagrid seemed to be losing blood by the second and his extreme number of wounds didn't help either.

Harry softly called out in hope, "Dobby"

To his relief, the next instant the little elf had appeared before him. Harry knew that he would be asking the elf to exhaust quite a lot of magical resources, but he had to do it.

He spoke to the elf, "Dobby, can you take Hagrid out of here?"

Dobby looked a bit sceptical for a moment before nodding his head. Harry just patted Dobby on the back and the elf bowed down to him.

Within a moment, both Hagrid and Dobby were gone.

--------------

Daphne Greengrass was moving about on the streets of Hogsmeade helping out people as and when she could. She had taken great pleasure in stunning Pansy Parkinson whose mask had been off while she was duelling with Susan Bones.

As she moved ahead, she heard a scream from one of the alleys she was about to pass.

She quickly moved inside and saw a man standing covering someone she couldn't see.

She heard the man speak, "There's no point in screaming, you filthy little Mudblood. Nobody's going to hear you."

Daphne froze for a second as she moved a little ahead and saw the cowering form of Hermione Granger. She heard the man speak again, "I'm not going to spare you like I did the last time we met at the Department of Mysteries. This time you die."

Daphne had recovered from her shock by the time the man had lifted his wand. She had rage running through her veins now. As far as she could help it, she wouldn't let any of Harry's friends die.

She took out her wand, pointed it at the man and shouted, "_Reducto_"

She stared with grim satisfaction as one of his buttocks exploded and he howled out in pain. By the time he turned around, she was onto him again,

"_Petrificus Totalus_"

She quickly put her wand inside as the rather burly form of Antonin Dolohov fell to the ground. She saw Hermione sobbing on the ground and thought for a moment about comforting her.

However, she thought the better of it and quickly moved out of the alley.

Behind her she heard Hermione speaking between sobs, "Whoever you are, thank you."

----------------

Harry managed to calm himself down after Hagrid's disappearance and looked around. He saw that majority of the people were battling out in the open now. He moved around the street helping out some of the DA and Order members in their duels with well placed stunning spells.

He soon came upon Neville, who had just fired off an impressive stunner right across Draco Malfoy's chest. Harry also petrified Draco as silently as possible for good measure.

As soon as he looked up after petrifying Draco, he saw a sickly green light in front of him. Neville managed to sidestep the green light but it went on to hit Seamus in the back instead.

Harry nearly screamed in horror as Seamus fell to the ground. He quickly moved towards Seamus but Neville got there first.

Neville bent down on his knees next to Seamus's body. With tears in his eyes he turned around, only to see a face which had been haunting him for years.

He screamed, "You bitch. I am going to make you pay for that."

Harry looked around and to his surprise saw Bellatrix Lestrange standing there, with an evil grin on her face. He was about to attack her but decided that Neville deserved first shot.

She smirked at Neville and remarked,

"You know something; you're just like your parents, baby Longbottom. Even they were 'all words and no actions'. No wonder they lie on a bed in St. Mungo's now."

Neville had a fury in his eyes which Harry hadn't seen before. He took his wand, pointed it at Bellatrix and screamed,

"_Confringo_"

Bellatrix wasn't expecting that and just managed to step away in time before the spell hit her. She glared at Neville before the same grin came on her face again,

"Ooohh, Blasting Hex and all huh? Seems as if Little Longbottom knows how to play. Let me show you how it's done."

She cast, "_Confringo_"

Neville tried to dive out of the way but the spell hit him in the left arm and his arm burst. He screamed out in pain while Bellatrix just stood there laughing and enjoying his plight.

Harry had seen enough. He took out his wand and quickly muttered, "_Petrificus Totalus_"

Bellatrix who had been too busy in laughing didn't see it coming and as soon as the spell hit her she fell to the ground.

Harry quickly moved next to Neville who was still crying out in pain. He tried to perform his best healing spell but it didn't work.

He muttered out, "Kreacher."

But the elf didn't answer the summons. Harry tried again a couple of times but no one came. He decided that he'd have to apparate Neville out himself.

But, before doing that, he picked up Neville's wand which had fallen down and gave it to him in his right hand.

Neville looked at him and Harry just spoke in his ear, "Do it, Neville."

Neville looked around in surprise as he recognized Harry's voice. Although he couldn't see anything he got what Harry was trying to convey.

He tightened the grip on his wand and pointed it straight at Bellatrix's still head. He shouted,

"_Confringo_"

Both Harry and Neville stared as Bellatrix's head exploded.

Neville had managed to avenge his parents. Bellatrix Lestrange was no more.

--------------

Daphne had come out of the alley and was moving about the street again. As she was about to move ahead she saw McGonagall in a fierce battle with both the Carrows. She was taking on both of them herself.

Daphne quickly took out her wand and muttered a Stunning spell. Alecto Carrow fell down to the ground completely unaware of what hit her. Amycus was shocked as he saw his sister fall down al of a sudden.

The distraction was all that McGonagall needed to stun Amycus Carrow. She quickly pointed her wand at Amycus and muttered, "_Incarcerous"_

Ropes spread across the male Carrow's body and tied him up. She repeated the same process with Alecto. By the time she looked around to see who had helped her, Daphne was gone.

As Daphne was moving again, she heard a voice behind her say the two most dreaded words in Wizarding history,

"_Avada Kedavra_"

She turned around and to her horror saw Hannah Abbott fall to the ground after being hit by the sickly green light. She was about to move towards her when she heard laughter near her. The laughter sounded eerily familiar.

She turned around and saw a hooded Death Eater laughing. She quietly took out her wand and petrified the hooded Death Eater. As the Death Eater fell to the ground, the mask fell off.

Daphne approached the Death Eater hoping against hope that it wasn't who she thought it was. As soon as she reached the body, she nearly froze in utter and complete shock.

Fallen at her feet, was the petrified form of her fifteen year old sister, Astoria Greengrass.

-------------------

Harry had side apparated Neville to the Shrieking Shack and left him in Madam Pomfrey's care.

He was back on the street again and was helping out whoever he could. He stunned both Rookwood and Yaxley who had been duelling with the Weasley twins.

Fred apparently had hurt his leg pretty badly and Harry approached George under his Invisibility Cloak,

He muttered, "Take him to the Shrieking Shack. You'll get help there. And by the way George, these Invisibility Cloaks are awesome."

George nodded and grinned at Harry's words. He side apparated Fred in a few moments.

Harry looked around and saw that things were still pretty much the same. The chaos still reigned but the number of people seemed to have reduced greatly.

He started moving around again. He was about to stun Gregory Goyle who had been duelling with Lisa Turpin, when he suddenly found the air getting colder.

He knew that this could only mean one thing:

_Dementors_

He quickly fired off the stunning spell which hit Goyle in the back and he tumbled over. Lisa was surprised at Goyle's fall and called out,

"Who's there?"

Harry thought for a moment about not replying but decided to do so anyways, "It's me, Harry."

Lisa looked at Harry who momentarily slipped off the cloak before putting it on again. She spoke, "Oh, thank God it's you, Potter. Do you feel the air getting colder?"

Just as she had said this, screams started emanating from various areas of the street. Both Harry and Lisa looked up to see black hooded creatures gliding towards them. Harry quickly thought of his and Daphne's first kiss and shouted,

"_Expecto Patronum_"

A beam of white light erupted from his wand and it soon transformed into a stag. The stag managed to drive away a few of the dementors. However, it fizzled out as there were too many of them. They seemed to be all heading towards Harry for some reason. It was as if they had been ordered to suck out his soul in particular.

He tried the Patronus Charm again but only a light mist came out of the wand. He looked around and saw that Lisa had collapsed on the ground.

He tried the Patronus Charm several times again but he just didn't have the power to do it anymore. He fell down on the ground and couldn't manage to get up again. He couldn't believe that it was going to end like this. All his dreams of having a life with Daphne were about to get shattered.

And then it hit him. He quickly thought of a great future ahead with Daphne and having a nice little family with two little kids. As soon as the thought came into his mind, he screamed,

"_EXPECTO PATRONUM_"

He wasn't alone. He heard a very familiar voice next to him shout, "_Expecto Patronum_"

This time the stag shot straight out of the wand. Also, this time the stag was not alone. Next to the stag was a beautiful silver doe.

Harry looked up and saw the face of Severus Snape staring down at him with an expression that he had rarely seen on the man's face before, one of concern.

Harry's Invisibility Cloak had apparently slipped off him when he was trying the Patronus against the Dementor.

Severus helped him up and put the Invisibility Cloak back on him. They both looked at the sky, as the stag and the doe cleaned up the dementors.

A smile came on Harry's face as he thought of Prongs and Lily getting united again.

---------------

Daphne felt tears coming down her eyes as she saw her sister lying on the floor. She couldn't imagine that her little sister had become a Death Eater. She also couldn't believe that Severus had never told her.

As she was about to start looking for him, she heard someone shout, "It was stag that drove all those dementors away. Summon the Dark Lord. Potter is here."

She quickly got up and headed towards the direction where the voice had come from. She could see Severus Snape standing alone in the middle of the street helping Lisa Turpin to stand up.

She quickly moved to him and tugged at his sleeve, "Severus, I need to talk to you."

She heard Harry's voice, "What's happened, Daphne?"

Daphne heaved a sigh of relief as she realized that Harry was there and he was safe. However, her attention soon shifted to what she had been intending to ask,

She replied to Harry, "I need to ask Severus something."

She quickly turned to Severus and asked, "Why didn't you tell me, Severus? Why didn't you tell me that my little sister had become a Death Eater?"

Harry gasped in shock. Severus's face looked as if it had been struck by a bolt of lightning. He remained silent for a few moments before he finally managed to utter,

"I didn't know, Daphne... There are some Death Eaters you never know of. She must've been one of them. I swear I didn't know."

After saying this, he spoke softly, "Daphne, I'm so sorry. I could've never even imagined-"

However, he never got to finish the statement as at that moment there was a loud scream behind them.

They looked on in horror at the small form of Luna Lovegood writhing on the ground. The one torturing her was none other than Voldemort.

-------------

Harry quickly moved towards Voldemort. Within a few seconds, he had removed the Invisibility Cloak and stood a few metres away from Voldemort and Luna.

Harry looked around and was pleased to see that there weren't many Death Eaters standing. They seemed to be all lying on the streets either stunned, bound with ropes or dead. He decided that the time had come and stepped forward.

He spoke to Voldemort, "Your fight's with me, Tom. Leave the girl alone."

Voldemort, who had been looking down and enjoying the sight of the girl in pain, jerked his neck up as soon as he heard Harry's voice. The Cruciatus Curse was broken and one of the elves popped in and took Luna away. Voldemort didn't pay much heed to the elves actions.

A twisted smile came onto his face as he saw Harry, "Ah Potter, it's been such a long time."

He continued, "I knew you'd come today, Potter. It's in your blood to die for other people. You must have gotten it from your Mudblood mother, it seems."

Harry's face became red with rage and he shouted, "_Serpensortia_"

A rather large snake shot out of his wand. Harry spoke out loudly, "Prepare to die, Voldemort."

As soon as he heard this, the air reverberated with Voldemort's evil laughter.

He spoke, "You want to kill me, a snakemaster, with the help of a snake? You and your juvenile ways disgust me, Potter. Let me show you how it's done."

He then spoke in Parseltongue to his snake Nagini, who was on the ground beside him,

"_Kill the snake. Get the boy to me._"

For the first time after having the Horcrux inside himself removed, Harry regretted not being able to speak or understand Parseltongue.

However, he soon saw Nagini slithering towards him.

As soon as he saw the snake moving towards him, Harry thought, "Playing with Voldemort's ego. Brilliant plan. I love you, Daphne."

As Nagini glided over to the other snake, Harry heard Severus shout from a distance,

"_Sectumsempra_"

The curse hit the Nagini and blood started flowing out from the snake. Voldemort recognized the voice and looked in the direction the curse had come from. He screamed,

"SNAPE!"

While Voldemort was looking in Snape's direction, Daphne quickly moved ahead and swiped Nagini's head off with the sword. Within a flash, she touched the Portkey she had on her and disappeared.

Harry didn't know whether to laugh or to let out a loud whoop of joy. They had just managed to use basic distraction techniques to get rid of Voldemort's last Horcrux.

Voldemort heard the sound of the snake's head dropping to the ground and looked on in horror at his beloved and beheaded snake.

Voldemort screamed out in anger. The next second, he looked at Harry standing in front of him

Harry saw Voldemort looking at him and he remembered that he still had work to do. He apparated away and landed right in front of the Hog's head. The Hog's head was visible from where Voldemort was standing. Before Harry went in, Voldemort got a good look at his retreating back.

The next instant, Voldemort had apparated inside the Hog's Head which was completely empty and deserted.

Harry saw him standing in the middle of the inn and spoke up, "I thought it would be befitting to end it where it all began with that damned prophecy, Tom. Don't you think that's a good idea?"

Voldemort drawled, "I don't care, Potter. You die tonight one way or the other."

Harry decided to mock him, "Oh, is Tommy boy angry with me?"

Voldemort hissed, "You dare to use that name. Shut the hell up Potter!"

Harry immediately thought of an extremely bad joke. He knew that this was not the time but decided to say it anyways,

"Oh, I can't shut hell up before sending you there now, can I?"

Voldemort looked at him with a baffled expression. Harry continued in his mocking tone,

"So tell me something Tom, did you know that Nagini was your last Horcrux?

Voldemort looked at him with near terror in his eyes. He spoke,

"What do you mean?"

Harry replied, "I thought I said it in pretty clear English, Tom. All of your seven Horcruxes are destroyed. If you want me to simplify it any further then I'd say, you're mortal again."

There was disbelief and extreme fury on Voldemort's face. He stood there glaring at Harry with those menacing red eyes. If looks could kill, Harry was pretty sure he'd be dead by now.

After a few moments of pointless staring, Voldemort proclaimed, "You've irked me too often, Potter. It's time for you to die."

He pointed his wand at Harry and screamed, "_Avada Kedavra_"

Harry was waiting for this and had his wand at the ready. At the same time as Voldemort, he screamed, "_Expelliarmus_"

There was a loud blast followed by the eruption of golden flames.

And then, there was nothing.

---------------

Hermione Granger was helping Remus Lupin and Professor McGonagall round up the last of the Death Eaters when she heard a massive explosion.

She turned and to her horror saw the Hog's Head exploding.

Remus screamed out in terror, "I saw him going in there."

He rushed to the Hog's Head as fast as his legs could carry him. He was closely followed by Hermione and Minerva.

They were soon standing outside the old inn and quickly moved inside. They used the _Aguamenti_ spells to get through the fire and came upon a very welcome sight.

The dead and burned body of Lord Voldemort was lying on the floor of the inn. The Greatest Dark Lord in the history of the Wizarding World was no more.

Hermione nearly screamed with joy, but to her surprise Remus kept moving ahead. She followed him out of curiosity while Minerva stayed behind.

They moved a little ahead and soon came upon something that froze Hermione in her place.

Remus dropped to his knees and began weeping. Hermione was nearly in a state of paralysis as she stared at the body in front of her.

Staring back at her was the lifeless face of the love of her life, Harry Potter.

(A/N: Two more chapters to go. One would involve a will reading and the last would be the epilogue.

Frankly speaking, am not that good at writing battle scenes. I tried my level best with this chapter and hope that it's decent enough.

Please Review!)


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

The war was over and the self styled Lord Voldemort was dead. However, the victory had come at a very heavy price. They had lost the one who had saved them all from a terrible fate. The Wizarding world, which should have been celebrating the end of the war, was now grieving because of the death of their beloved hero. Their saviour, Harry Potter was no more.

There was a small amount of happiness to be derived from the fact that other than Harry, the casualties had been very few.

Neville Longbottom had managed to survive after Bellatrix's blasting Hex had hit him on the arm. Although he had lost a lot of blood, Harry's quick action to get him to Madam Pomfrey had saved him. She had immediately put him on Blood replenishing potions and he managed to recover fully in a couple of days. He might never be able to put his left arm to full use again, but compared to death, it was a small price to pay.

Rubeus Hagrid had been in a very critical condition when he had been bought in the Dobby. Pomfrey had ensured that majority of his wounds were healed but his situation still remained critical. He had to be transferred to St. Mungo's so that he could be looked after by the best Healers. He was in a coma for nearly three weeks before finally getting up. However, his relief at still being was short-lived as he soon heard of Harry's death. The burly half giant had sobbed for two continuous days after he heard the news.

There were many others who had suffered from minor injuries and had managed to recover in a day or two.

However, there were some who weren't that lucky. Seamus Finnegan, Hannah Abbott, Dean Thomas and Parvati Patil were the students that were stuck down by the Killing Curse.

When one of the giants had collapsed on the Three Broomsticks pub, Cho Chang had been inside. She wasn't able to make it out of there alive.

Surprisingly, all of the Order members managed to survive on the day of the battle. Amongst the professors, Horace Slughorn decided to duel three Death Eaters simultaneously. He hadn't followed the instructions and not used any of the Weasley products to get away, and thus in the process, he had lost his life.

The funerals for all those who gave up their lives during the battle were held at the Hogwarts grounds, three days after the battle. Thousands of people attended to mourn for those who had passed on. Their bodies were buried on the Hogwarts Ground itself.

The last person to be buried was none other than the Boy-who-no-longer-lived, Harry Potter. Many people wanted to make a speech in his honour, but only a few were given the chance to do so.

The two remaining members of the Golden Trio were both asked to say a few words, but they had turned down the offer. Hermione had been in no condition to make the speech whereas Ron was not interested. Ron had been shocked when he heard of Harry's death. However, instead of showing remorse, he had just dismissed his best friend's death as another attention-seeking ploy. Ginny hadn't been too pleased with his words before the funeral and he had been subjected to a very venomous Bat-Bogey Hex.

Of the few people who did speak at the funeral, Remus had broken down in tears in the middle of his speech while he had been recounting the days which he had spent teaching Harry at Hogwarts. It had taken a lot of convincing from a very pregnant Nymphadora Tonks to get him off the podium.

Neville Longbottom had given a very passionate speech about how the end of the war could be a catalyst for change in the Wizarding World. He had particularly stressed on Harry's hatred for the prejudices present in the Wizarding World. He had finished by promising the people that he would do everything in his power to remove the prejudices in the Wizarding World, just so that he could honour Harry's memory.

Kingsley Shacklebolt, who had been appointed the Interim Minister of Magic, had spoken about the great service that Harry Potter had done to the Wizarding World. He'd also promised that he would ensure that Harry Potter's sacrifice did not go in vain. He awarded an Order of Merlin, Second Class to all those who fought in the battle and an Order of Merlin, First Class to the memory of Harry Potter. Finally, he had assured the people that all the Death Eaters had been either killed or captured and put in high security cells. As things stood, none of them would ever see the light of the day again.

Severus Snape had been given the chance to speak, but he had refused to do so. He was later put on trial and cleared of all charges. He was offered the Potions position again as well as the position of Deputy Headmaster, which he had gracefully accepted.

Minerva McGonagall, the new Headmistress of Hogwarts had been the final speaker. She had spoken about how she was proud to teach a student like Harry Potter. For the first time, people had seen the upstanding Minerva McGonagall shed a tear and it had been for good reason too.

The entire Weasley family and Hermione had sat stony faced during the entire funeral. None of them were in a position to speak a word. In Ron's case, it had been mainly due to a silencing charm placed on him by Mrs. Weasley, but that was a different case altogether.

Finally, the funerals had ended and all the bodies had been put to rest. A very solemn Wizarding crowd had made their way out of Hogwarts. Although their faces showed a grave expression, there was a grim determination in majority of the people's eyes. The day had helped people to realize that it was always better to do what was right, than doing what was easy.

Maybe there was hope for the Wizarding world after all.

---------------

Hermione Granger was in a complete state of depression. She hadn't been able to sleep for more than a month now. There were dark circles underneath her eyes and she just couldn't stop crying. Every single night she was haunted by Harry's lifeless face staring back at her and she wasn't able to get any sleep. Both Ginny and Mrs. Weasley had tried their level best to get her out of the slump, but they had been unsuccessful.

Presently she was climbing the steps to Gringotts Bank. Although she didn't really want to be there, protocol dictated that all participants of a will had to attend the will reading.

As she entered the room where the will reading was to be held, she spotted a number of familiar faces. She saw that the entire Weasley clan was present as well as the Lupins. To her surprise, even Severus Snape was one of those present in the room.

She also noticed that a number of mean looking Goblins were lining the walls of the room, with a variety of arms such as daggers and small swords.

She shuddered a bit at the sight and quietly went and took a seat in one of the chairs that had been laid out for the people. Ginny noticed that Hermione had come in and went and took a seat next to her. It was a matter of time before all the participants of the will were seated.

A Goblin appeared on the podium set up for the will reading, and announced the arrival of Lord Ragnok, the Head of Gringotts Bank.

Soon, Lord Ragnok entered the room and gave all the participants a look through. He motioned for all the goblins, who were lining the walls to lay down their arms and relax. The Goblins did as they were instructed to by their Lord.

Lord Ragnok began to speak, "Today, we are all gathered here for the reading of the 'Last Will and Testament of Harry James Potter'. This is a recorded will and the witnesses for the same are I, Lord Ragnok and Severus Tobias Snape. Severus Snape's presence here is solely as a witness to the recording of the will and not because he is a participant."

All heads turned to Snape and he just gave them a death glare in return. The heads were back in their normal position in record time.

Lord Ragnok continued, "With that said, let us begin."

He waved his hand and a small box appeared on the table placed on the podium. With another wave of his hand, the box opened and Harry Potter's voice came out of it:

"_I, Harry James Potter, Lord of the Ancient and Most Noble Houses of Potter and Black, am of sane mind while declaring this will._

_To Remus and Nymphadora Lupin, I leave Grimmauld Place as well as half of the gold in my current vault._

_To Fred and George Weasley, I leave you my one third share of Weasleys Wizarding Wheezes._

_To Ginny Weasley, I leave my Firebolt and a sum of 5.000 Galleons._

_To Hermione Granger, I leave all the books in the Black Family Library which is located at Grimmauld Place and a sum of 5,000 Galleons._

_To Ronald Weasley, I leave 5,000 Galleons._

_Finally, I leave the remaining gold in my vault to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley._

_I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank all those who helped me in life. _

_Remus, you were a good friend and an even better mentor. I would have loved to spend more time with you and your new family, but it seems as if it just wasn't meant to be._

_Mr and Mrs Weasley, thank you for treating me as a part of the family. Without your love and support, I doubt I'd have managed to even survive._

_Fred and George, I never even came to know when you made me a one third partner in your store. Thanks for the gesture but I can't accept it. The store is completely yours and I hope you keep providing the world with new reasons to smile._

_Ginny, I am sorry that we didn't get the chance to give our relationship another try. We had good times together and I will always cherish them. Thank you for being there. _

_Hermione and Ron, you were great friends to me for a long time. I think I understand what prompted you to leave me in the forest. I am sorry that I wasn't the best of leaders in our mission and I hope you can forgive me. Have a good life._

_Well, that's all that I have to say. Goodbye and All the best in your future._

_This is Harry James Potter signing off..."_

There was nearly complete silence in the room and only Mrs. Weasley's sobs could be heard. Mr. Weasley was trying his best to calm her down.

Remus Lupin just looked on with a morose expression. He didn't really care about the money or Grimmauld Place. Tonks was sobbing and he put an arm around her so as to comfort her and share her grief.

Ron looked furious and ready to burst as he couldn't believe that he had been left only a paltry sum of 5,000 Galleons. However, the silencing charm placed on him by Mr. Weasley ensured that he didn't say anything.

Hermione was quietly sobbing on Ginny's shoulder. Ginny herself couldn't keep back the tears and they flowed freely.

The twins were both looking down at the floor so that nobody could see the tears that were slowly forming in their eyes.

Severus Snape still had the same indifferent look which he had on his face all the time. He just wanted to get over with this as soon as possible.

Lord Ragnok's voice boomed in the room, "Lord Potter was always a loyal customer and also a very good friend to me. We, the Goblins of Gringotts offer our heartfelt condolences to his near and dear ones."

He paused for a moment and continued, "This concludes the 'Last Will and Testament of Harry James Potter'. Please contact Griphook regarding the transfer of assets specified in the will. I must take your leave now. Wish you all a good day."

With that, Lord Ragnok walked out of the room, leaving a completely miserable set of individuals behind.

------------------

Lord Ragnok went to his room and sat down on his chair. He had just concluded one of his most important jobs, the reading of Harry Potter's will. He relaxed for a few moments and then started to look over the papers of the remaining assets of Harry James Potter. His eyes sparkled when he saw the number of Goblin made objects of the list.

While he was looking at the papers, there were dual pops inside the room. After a few seconds came the sound of cloaks being removed.

A couple of people emerged from the cloaks and approached Lord Ragnok's desk.

One of them said, "I hope it all went well, Lord Ragnok."

Ragnok who was busy looking at his papers hadn't noticed their arrival. His head jerked when he heard the voice and a smile spread across his face. He motioned for them to take a seat, which they did.

He replied, "It all went perfectly well. Your plan worked flawlessly, Lord Potter."

Wide smiles came on the faces of both Harry Potter and Daphne Greengrass when they heard this. They couldn't believe that after all the hard work, they had finally made it.

Daphne asked, "Didn't anyone have any questions about the family vaults and other properties?"

Ragnok replied, "No, Miss Greengrass. They all accepted the contents of Mr. Potter's Educational Trust Vault without any questions. I don't think they were aware of the family vaults in the first place. Even if they were aware of them, they were all in no state of mind to remember it. It was one of the most depressing will readings I have performed in my entire existence."

Harry felt a brief pang of guilt when he heard this. However, the thought of a good future ensured that he overcame the feeling of guilt within a few seconds.

He stated, "Lord Ragnok, you've provided great help to us in the past few days. First, you provided us with Helga Hufflepuff's cup without which we would have been unable to defeat Voldemort. Then you provided the anti-apparition wards over Hogsmeade which ensured the capture of all the Death Eaters. And now, you have helped us out by making the necessary changes in the will reading. I thank you for everything. "

Lord Ragnok replied, "You're most welcome, Lord Potter. It was my duty to ensure the well being of one of our most valued customers. Also, the Goblin nation is proud to have played its part in the downfall of Voldemort and his followers."

Harry smiled and said, "Even we are most pleased with the downfall of Voldemort, Lord Ragnok. And like we promised you before, to show our appreciation, I, Harry James Potter, transfer all the Goblin made objects in the Potter vaults to the Goblin Nation."

The smile on Lord Ragnok's face grew wider when he heard this. He bowed down low, "You're most kind to the Goblin Nation, Lord Potter. If you need our help in any other thing, please do not hesitate to ask."

Harry returned the bow and said, "Thank you, Lord Ragnok."

Ragnok had a question which had been on his mind for a long time now. He decided to ask it, "Lord Potter, I am very curious about one thing and I hope you don't mind me asking you a question. You're under no obligation to answer of course, but an answer would be most welcome."

Harry nodded his assent and Ragnok asked, "How did you manage to fake your death?"

Harry grinned at the question, "I guess Daphne would be a better person to answer that one. After all, it was her and Severus who came up with the plan."

Lord Ragnok nodded and turned to Daphne, "Miss Greengrass, could you please answer the question?"

Daphne smiled and nodded. She started speaking, "Well, Lord Ragnok, there's a most wonderful invention in the Wizarding World called the Polyjuice Potion. Nearly everyone in the Wizarding world is aware that it makes you take the appearance of another person for an hour. However, what most people are not aware of is that if the Polyjuice Potion is given to a person and the person dies within the hour, then the change in appearance is locked."

Flashback

_There was a loud blast followed by golden flames. _

_Harry was thrown back a few inches but he managed to stay on his feet. He saw the Elder Wand fly high in the air, and with the unerring skill of a seeker caught it his hand. At the same time, Voldemort's body fell back and down on the ground. _

_Voldemort was dead, killed by his own rebounding curse, and Harry stood with two wands in his hands, staring down at his enemy's shell._

_Harry just stood there for a moment, shock etched on his face. It was finally over at last. The Dark Lord who had made Harry's life a living hell for the last sixteen years was no more._

_He felt a couple of hands grab him from behind. He turned around and came face to face with the woman who had given him so much, the woman he loved more than life itself, Daphne Greengrass, the reason it was all over at last-_

_In the heat of their moment, their lips met. It was their most passionate kiss yet. Although, both of them knew that this was not the time or the place, they couldn't stop themselves..._

Flashback Paused

Harry interrupted her, "Erm... could you please avoid the amorous details, honey?"

Daphne blushed furiously. She had gotten a bit carried away.

Even Lord Ragnok seemed pleased that Harry had interrupted. He was breathing a sigh of relief. Daphne began again-

Flashback Restarts

_Both Harry and Daphne broke the kiss and looked at the body lying on their feet. There was no way he was coming back now, Voldemort was gone for good._

_Harry asked her, "Are you alright, Daphne?"_

_Daphne replied, "Obviously, I am alright Harry. All I had to do was behead a snake and travel a mere fifty yards by Portkey, which I still think was a stupid idea. What could possibly go wrong?"_

_Harry grinned at her cheekiness, "Oh come on, love. You know the Portkey was a precautionary measure. It's always a better and a safer way to travel than apparition."_

_Daphne nodded her understanding. Harry looked around and asked,_

"_Where is Severus? Wasn't he supposed to meet us here?"_

_Daphne's face darkened slightly, "He did come and leave the body and the potion that we need. Now, he has gone back to look for Astoria."_

_Harry put an arm around her, "Hey, am really sorry about Astoria, Daphne. Maybe things are not what they seem like. She must've had a reason for doing what she did. Why don't we wait and talk to her before making assumptions."_

_Daphne, who had been on the verge of tears, felt heartened by Harry's assurances._

_Harry asked, "So, where's the body?"_

_Daphne led him to the side room where the body was kept. _

_Harry looked disgusted, "Yuck... Amycus Carrow? Is this fat arse the best Severus could find? And he looks dead already..."_

_Daphne laughed at this, "No, he is not dead. He will be soon though, so we might as well use the potion."_

_With that, Daphne poured the potion in the dying Death Eater's open mouth. In a few seconds, the man's features started changing. It was just a matter of time before he became a replica of Harry Potter. _

_Harry removed a spare pair of glasses that he had ordered and put them on the man's face. He used the Elder wand to transform a piece of wood into an exact replica of his phoenix feather wand. He broke the replica into two parts and left it at the man's side._

_All the work was done, and now it was time to go. _

_Harry asked Daphne, "Ready honey?"_

_She nodded in the affirmative. Soon, both of them had apparated to the street behind the Hog's Head under Harry's Invisibility Cloak._

_They looked around and were pleased to see that the streets were deserted. Both of them took out their wands, pointed them towards the Hog's head and muttered,_

"_Confringo"_

_There was a massive explosion followed by golden flames._

_Leaving behind a burning Hog's Head, and screaming people, both of them apparated out._

End Flashback

Lord Ragnok was stunned at the story he had just heard.

He said, "Lord Potter and Miss Greengrass, I must congratulate you on a job well done. That was an exceptional piece of work."

Both Harry and Daphne smiled and said their thanks.

As they were preparing to leave, Harry asked, "Lord Ragnok, I believe you have something for me."

Ragnok nodded and took out a brown bag from his desk, "Indeed I do, Lord Potter. Here it is."

Ragnok handed over the bag and Harry took it and put it in his pocket.

Daphne asked, "What's that, Harry?"

Harry just smiled and said, "You'll come to know when the time in right, honey."

Daphne was not satisfied with the answer and indicated this by letting out a small huff.

Harry just continued smiling. He knew what was inside the bag and he intended to use it as soon as he could.

Till then, there were a lot of things to do. To begin with, he intended to stop doing and start living.

(A/N: I think it was pretty obvious that Harry wasn't dead. Full marks to majority of the reviewers for guessing right.

I have had a slight change of mind. Because of my love for this story, I have decided to add another chapter before the epilogue. I was intending to include that part in this chapter itself, but finally decided that it deserved a new chapter.

The Polyjuice Potion idea was something I got from one of my favourite HP/DG one shots – _Perfect Situations._

Also, I have started work on my Harry/Tracey/Lisa fic. The first two chapters of that story should be up before this story ends.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please review!)


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

_3 months later_

Harry Potter called out from the bottom of the staircase, "Are you ready to leave, honey?"

Daphne's voice came back from their room, "I'll take a couple of minutes, love"

Harry went and sat down on the in one of the new recliners purchased by them for their temporary home. It was one of the Potter Properties which was located in the Islands of the Bahamas, a beautiful three storey villa with a private beach.

As he sat there waiting for Daphne to come down, he reflected on how his life had taken a turn for the better ever since Daphne had saved him from the pond.

They'd destroyed Voldemort, conned the Wizarding world and spent three blissful months together on an island which was a sure reflection of heaven on earth.

While he was thinking about the tiny bikini which Daphne had worn on the last visit to their private beach, he suddenly felt the most delicious lips kissing his own. He responded with equal passion and desire, deepening the kiss.

After a few moments, both of them broke off for breath and stared at each other with faces as red as tomatoes.

Daphne was the one who spoke up first, "Shouldn't we get going?"

Harry gave her a suggestive smile and replied, "Or maybe, we should stay in for today and go tomorrow."

Daphne grinned at him and commented, "Who would have thought that the most popular wizard in the world would be so horny?"

Harry chuckled and responded, "Not my fault, honey. It's your beauty that makes me go all goo-goo on the inside. "

Daphne started laughing at this. After her laughter subsided she said, "Enough of the sweet and corny talk now. Let's leave."

Harry nodded in the affirmative and gave her his hand. As soon as she took hold of it, he side apparated both of them to their destination.

They reached their destination and Harry got the first look of the house which he hadn't seen for nearly a year now.

However, the house seemed more like a home now. It had been repainted and some new furniture had also been bought in.

He was brought out of his musings by a high pitched wail. As soon as he heard it, a broad smile came on his face.

Daphne asked him, "Are you sure you are ready for this, Harry?"

He responded, "If I weren't ready right now, then I doubt I'll ever be. Let's do this."

Daphne smiled at him and motioned for him to lead the way. They went up to the door of the hall and stood there as silently as possible.

After watching the people inside the room for a few moments, Harry gathered up his courage and walked in and was soon followed by Daphne.

The people in the room were a little preoccupied in playing with a baby and didn't notice them.

Harry cleared his throat and the noise managed to get their attention.

Both of them looked up and there was suddenly an eerie silence in the hall. This was soon broken by a loud shriek by Nymphadora Tonks.

After staring at him for a few moments, the pink haired witch fainted and fell on the ground.

The other person in the room however took no notice of his wife who had fallen to the ground. Remus Lupin was staring at Harry with a cold expression on his face. He had his wand in his hand and it was pointed straight at Harry.

He spoke in a low voice, "When was the first time we met?"

Harry, who had been a little surprised at seeing Remus's wand pointed at him, finally saw the reason behind him doing so.

He replied, "I'm really Harry, Remus. We first met on the train ride to Hogwarts at the beginning of my third year. You saved us from the Dementors and you were the one who later taught me the Patronus Charm."

As soon as Remus heard these words, his wand hand dropped down and his wand fell to the floor. He just stood there and tears came into his eyes. He finally moved towards Harry and embraced him.

Even Tonks had been _enervated _by Daphne and she was standing at the back with tears in her eyes.

In between sobs, Remus managed to say, "How? How did you come back? I saw your dead body with my own eyes..."

Harry responded, "Erm... I faked my death, Remus."

Remus Lupin broke the embrace. As soon as he saw the look on Remus's face, Harry realized that it had not been the best thing to say. Before he could say anything more, Remus had slapped him hard across the face.

Remus was shouting now, "You ... you faked your death. How could you, Harry? Do you know what we have been through in the last three months? Not a single day has gone by when I haven't cried when I thought about you. What the hell were you thinking, Harry?"

Harry, who had not been expecting this, was a little taken aback. He said, "I'm really sorry, Remus. Please listen to me. I can explain."

Tonks had come and stood next to Remus, trying her level best to comfort him. Both of them did not pay any heed to Harry's pleas.

Harry spoke softly again, "Please, Remus and Tonks. Just one chance is all I ask for."

This got their attention. Both Remus and Tonks just looked at him with tear-stricken faces. Remus motioned for him to start.

Harry took his opportunity, "Oh am really sorry, before I start, this is Daphne Greengrass. She is my girlfriend."

Both Remus and Tonks gaped at this.

After taking a few moments to recover from the shock, Remus just asked, "What the hell is going on, Harry? You owe me an explanation and I want it now."

Harry replied, "Well, it all started on the day when both Ron and Hermione decided to leave me alone in the forest... "

And Harry told them everything that had happened ever since they had gone to Snape's house till the present day.

Needless to say, both Remus and Tonks were shocked at the tale which he told. By the end of it, Remus apologized to Harry for hitting him. Harry however just brushed off his apology by saying that it was an understandable reaction.

Both of them also embraced Daphne and thanked her for helping Harry out. Daphne just smiled back in response.

After three gruelling hours of explanations, Remus introduced his son, "Harry, meet my son, Harry Remus Lupin..."

Tonks interrupted him, "No, Remus. A better introduction would be ... Harry, meet your Godson, Harry Remus Lupin."

Harry looked at them in surprise and tears started forming in his eyes.

As steadily as he could, he took the little baby out of the cot and into his arms. Daphne also came and stood next to him so that she could have her turn at holding the baby.

As he stood there, with his girlfriend by his side and his Godson in his arms, Harry Potter felt like the happiest and luckiest man in the world.

----------------

_7 months later_

Harry and Daphne were dining in the _El Bulli_ in Spain, widely renowned at the best restaurant in the world.

While Harry was drinking the wine which he had ordered, Daphne asked him, "Harry, I know of your obsession about dining at the most popular places in the world, but did you really have to book the whole place?"

Harry grinned and replied, "Yup."

Daphne was not one to give up without hearing a reason, "Honey, this is the first time that you have booked a whole restaurant for us. What gives?"

Harry still had that stupid grin on his face. He replied, "Well, I guess you remember the brown bag which I picked up from Gringotts. I just wanted to show you what's in it."

Daphne's eyes lit up. She had been pestering Harry for months now, but he had refused to show her what was in the bag.

She exclaimed, "Yay, Finally. Let's see it then."

Harry got a wide smile on his face. He clapped his hands and suddenly the lights dimmed a bit and the music changed to a slow instrumental number. He took out the brown bag from his coat and then took out a small box from it.

As soon as Daphne saw the box, she realized what it was and her expression changed to one of complete shock.

Harry got down on his knee and said the words, "You are the most amazing woman I've ever met. You are my desire, my happiness, my dream; give me the chance to make you happy and let us live together, today, tomorrow and forever. Marry me, Daphne?"

Daphne let out a loud squeal of delight, "Yes, I will marry you, Harry!"

Harry got a relieved smile on his face as Daphne dropped down on her knees next to him. He took out the ring from the box,

"It's my Mother's ring. It's been in the family for centuries."

With that he moved to put the ring on her finger and she accepted gracefully.

Harry spotted a little bit of hesitation on Daphne's face after he put the ring on. He said, "I trust you more than myself, Daphne. Don't even for a second think that you don't deserve that ring. If there was one person in the world that ring had to go to, then that would be you."

Daphne smiled and tears of joy came into her eyes. She launched herself onto Harry and then they spent the next ten minutes snogging on the floor of the best and the most expensive restaurant in the world.

After the kiss, they continued with the dinner in silence, while sneaking small glances at each other. Even sitting in complete silence with Daphne, seemed like the best thing ever to Harry.

As Daphne sat there and looked Harry in the eyes, she knew that they had finally made it. They were well on the route to their very own 'Happily ever after'.

-------------------

After dinner, both Harry and Daphne decided to apparate back to their home in the Bahamas. To their surprise, as soon as they got back, a large number of people shouted from their main hall,

"CONGRATULATIONS!"

This was followed by loud squeals of delight. Both Harry and Daphne stood there smiling at their friends.

Harry asked, "Alright guys, how'd you find out?"

To his surprise, he got a variety of answers. It was almost as if they had co-ordinated it.

Neville Longbottom was the one who spoke first, "Duh, Harry. The Man-who-conquered just got engaged. It's being broadcasted on all the Wizarding wireless networks."

Lisa Turpin chimed in, "And they have even put up a host of fliers in Diagon Alley showing the two of you engaging in a passionate lip-lock."

Susan Bones was not too far behind, "Plus, they have these customized Harry & Daphne products which the shops are selling already"

Her boyfriend, Anthony Goldstein was next, "Oh come on honey, don't forget the fancy Harry & Daphne clothes and lingerie line."

Luna spoke in her own dreamy sort of way, "The Nargles passed on the message to the puffskeins, who then passed on the message to me."

Terry Boot ruffled his weird girlfriend's hair before joining in, "I heard it on the Muggle news. They even showed Britain's Prime Minister passing on his blessing to you."

By the end of this, both Harry and Daphne were just left staring incredulously at their friends who were doing their best to hold their laughter.

Remus Lupin spoke up, "Come on guys, let it all out."

And they did. The hall erupted with high pitched laughter. Both Harry and Daphne had long since realized that they were being fooled around with, and joined in the laughter.

After a long period of incessant laughter, everyone went and took their seats in the hall. Tonks was the one who told Harry the truth, "Actually, it was Severus who told me when I went to visit Hogwarts the other day. I obviously told Remus about it. And Remus informed Neville who informed the others."

Daphne looked questioningly at Harry. Harry saw the look and said, "Oh fine. I decided to be the gentleman and considering that he's your godfather, I asked Severus for permission to allow me to ask you to marry me."

To his surprise, Daphne just smiled at him, "I'm glad you did, Harry."

This would have been followed by another snogging session but seeing that there were people around them they decided to restrain themselves.

Tonks added, "Oh and yeah, Severus asked me to apologize for him as he couldn't be here tonight. Apparently it's his and Sinistra's three month anniversary and she insisted that they go out."

Almost everyone in the room got weird looks on their faces on hearing this. None of them had still gotten accustomed to Severus Snape dating Professor Sinistra from Hogwarts.

Harry sensed the discomfort and decided to change the topic. He asked, "But how did you know when I was going to do it? I quite specifically remember that I never told Severus about that."

Neville was the one who replied, "Oh, for that we have your amazing house elf to thank."

He spotted the elf standing near the kitchen door and shouted, "Thank you, Dobby!"

Dobby just smiled back sheepishly and said, "Dobby is being most pleased to help Master's friends. Now, Dobby taking help of Tipsy and getting food for everyone."

He was about to turn back when Susan called out, "Don't you guys make out in the kitchen."

Everyone started laughing at this and Dobby gave a embarrassed smile before entering the kitchen.

Soon the laughter died down and they all sat back in silence until Daphne noticed something.

She stated, "Erm ... now that everyone knows we are engaged, why don't we turn our attention to the two people who are holding hands on the couch."

Instinctively, Neville let go of Lisa's hand, whose face was also beginning to turn beet red.

Susan spotted him doing it and let out a loud whoop of delight. She asked, "It's about time guys. When'd it happen?"

Lisa was the one who replied, "He asked me out three days back."

On hearing the confirmation, everyone in the room congratulated the new couple with hugs, kisses on the cheek and pats on the back.

Soon, Dobby arrived with the food and everyone other than Harry and Daphne tucked in. As both of them had already eaten at the restaurant, they weren't really hungry and decided to play good hosts instead.

After some time, Neville bought up the topic which had been a part of their conversation in all of their get-togethers so far. He asked Harry,

"Harry, have you guys thought about coming back?"

Harry replied, "No, Neville. I don't think that I want to."

Neville turned to Daphne, "Daphne, why don't you tell him?"

Daphne responded, "It's not my decision to take, Neville. In this, whatever Harry wants to do, I'll do the same."

Neville insisted, "But Harry, think about all the people whom you left behind. What about the Weasleys? What about Hermione?"

Harry replied with a slight bit of anger in his, "I feel sorry that I can't be in touch with the Weasleys, but as far as Ron is a part of their family, I don't have an option but to stay away from them. As for Hermione, I don't really care."

Daphne put her hand on his shoulder to calm him down. Harry soothed down a bit at her touch.

Neville asked, "But haven't you punished her enough already? She has become a shell of the person she once was. Either her or Ginny are spotted near your grave, crying their hearts out. What more do you want, Harry?"

Harry replied as calmly as possibly, "For once, I want a chance to live my own life, Neville. The chance to make my own decisions myself, as and when I want to. Is that too much to ask for?"

Neville shook his head. He knew Harry was not going to give in so easily. Ron and Hermione's betrayal in the forest had changed his opinion about them and it would take time for it to change back.

He gave one last try, "So, when will you come back, Harry?"

Harry replied, "I don't know whether I'll ever come back, Neville. But if I do decide to do so, then it'll be when I feel that the time is right."

Neville knew that the conversation was over. It was the way it always ended. Personally, he knew that Harry would come back. The only question was when.

(A/N: So when should Harry and Daphne return to the Wizarding World? Should they do so at all? I have an ending in mind, but if you have some suggestions, then I'll be glad to listen to them.

Well, the next chapter will probably be the last and the epilogue would be included in it.

Please reviews. Thanks to those who did!)


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

_15 years later_

Professor Hermione Granger-Weasley was seated at the teacher's High Table and she was looking at the sea of students in front of her. She had spent the last eleven years helping Neville Longbottom in his quest to acquire equal rights for all Wizarding creatures. Finally, she had gotten the job which she had always wanted. This was her first year as Hogwarts' new Transfiguration Professor and she couldn't wait to get started.

Times had changed in the last 15 years and for the first time she felt completely happy and satisfied with her life. She had a loving family, with two beautiful kids and she was back at the school where her life had actually started.

She couldn't believe how it had all gone down in the past few years. After the war, it was three years before she and Ginny had finally gotten over the Boy-who-once-Lived, Harry Potter.

Ron had continued to chase after her with declarations of his undying love for her. She had gotten extremely frustrated and then confided in Ginny about how harassed she was feeling with the whole situation. Ginny had decided to take the situation into her own hands and come up with a plan.

It had all been an act at first. Just one kiss to ensure that Ron got off Hermione's back. However, that one kiss had changed things. After three years of pining over Harry, both Hermione and Ginny had come really close to each other. It took them another year to work out their feelings and they finally came to a decision.

The entire Wizarding World was shocked when Hermione Granger and Ginny Weasley, two of the war's greats, got married to each other. There was an expected outrage amongst the Wizarding public, but both Hermione and Ginny managed to live through it. Two years into their marriage, they adopted a beautiful girl from a magical orphanage.

Ronald Weasley had been particularly pissed with Hermione marrying his little sister Ginny. He had tried nearly everything to get their marriage annulled but they managed to hold him off. Disgusted with his failure to break their marriage as well as his inability to find any decent job, he had taken up drinking. The money left to him by Harry had nearly all been spent on copious amounts of Firewhiskey.

Ronald Weasley had become a failure in life. Ever since he had made the choice to leave Harry in the tent, his life had only gone downhill. He died three years ago due to his failure to control his excessive drinking. Very few people attended his funeral, and even fewer cried. Hermione and Ginny attended the funeral for the sole purpose of comforting Molly Weasley, who was distraught over her son's death. However, it didn't take long for even Molly to recover from her loss.

Hermione sat there and smiled at her wife, Ginny-Granger Weasley who was sitting next to her. After spending ten glorious years as Puddlemere United's star seeker, Ginny had finally decided to retire from the game. However, the retirement had been short-lived as even she had been offered a job with Hermione at Hogwarts. She had replaced Madam Hooch as the new flying instructor.

After seeing her wife smiling at her, Ginny smiled back and asked, "What are you thinking about, Hermione?"

Hermione replied, "Just thinking about how fast the time has passed by and we've grown so old. I mean, even Emma is starting her second year."

At this, both Hermione and Ginny looked into the crowd at the smiling face of their daughter at the Gryffindor table. Emma Granger-Weasley had developed into a rather cute girl and was quite the talker. Both Hermione and Ginny were proud of their little one and loved spending time with her. With both of them being appointed Professors, they were happy that they would get even more time to do so.

Hermione turned to Ginny and spoke again, her eyes brimming with tears, "If only Harry would have had a chance to get to know her. I just feel so guilty... living a normal life. It's what he had always wanted."

Ginny put a hand on her shoulder, "Don't cry, love. I'm sure that he'd have wanted us to be happy. Wherever he is, I am sure that he is looking at us and he is smiling."

Hermione nodded and wiped the tears from her eyes as a picture of a smiling Harry Potter came before her eyes.

She turned her head when she heard Minerva McGonagall's loud voice in the Great Hall,

"Welcome, to another year at Hogwarts. I hope you all had a good holiday. Before we begin tonight, I have an announcement to make."

After pausing for a moment, she continued, "I had made a decision at the end of last year to retire from the post of Hogwarts Headmistress and I have decided to stick with it. I am here to introduce you to your new Headmaster. Please give a large round of applause to Headmaster Severus Snape."

With that, applause broke out in the hall and she moved from the High Chair, and Severus Snape took her place. As soon as the applause died down, Severus's voice boomed across the Great Hall,

"I thank Madam McGonagall as well the Board of Governors for giving me this opportunity. It's a pleasure to be given this chance. Before we begin our feast, I have quite a few announcements to make."

There was a loud groan from the students which Severus ignored.

He continued, "The ex-Headmistress and majority of the staff members thought that it would be funny to retire at the same time and leave me with the job of finding new professors. However, am pleased to say that after a stupendous effort, we have managed to fill all the seven vacant positions in the staff this year."

There was a loud chattering in the hall on hearing this. Majority of the older students were amazed. They had seen the new faces at the High Table but at the same time they couldn't believe that seven of their professors had retired at once.

As soon as the chattering died down, Snape continued, "So let us begin introductions. Replacing Madam Hooch as our new flying instructor is Ginevra Granger-Weasley."

There was a huge round of applause at this. Ginny had made quite a name for herself in Quidditch and nearly all the students present were big fans of hers.

Soon the applause died down and Severus continued, "Replacing Professor Nymphadora Lupin as your new Transfiguration Professor is Professor Hermione Granger-Weasley."

There was another round of applause at this after which Severus spoke again, "Your new Herbology professor who replaces Professor Pomona Sprout is Professor Neville Longbottom."

Neville stood up at the High Table and raised his glass to the students. There was huge applause for him. Neville had become quite popular due to his pursuit of equal rights for all Wizarding creatures. He settled down on his seat and the applause died down.

Severus continued, "The replacement for Madam Pomfrey, our new Healer for the Hogwarts Infirmary is Healer Lisa Longbottom."

Lisa Longbottom stood up after being patted on the back by her husband who was sitting next to her. She was one of the best Healers that St. Mungo's had produced.

She had been disappointed when Neville had decided to take the job of the Herbology Professor. She couldn't bear to stay away from her husband for a long time. However, she had soon heard about the vacancy created due to Madam Pomfrey's retirement. She had immediately applied for and gotten the job of the new Healer.

There was a mild applause as the students were now waiting for the announcements to get over and the feast to begin. Lisa sat down and Severus continued,

"Your new Charms professor, who replaces Professor Filius Flitwick, is Professor Susan Bones-Goldstein."

Susan Bones-Goldstein stood up and was given her share of applause. She and her husband, Anthony Goldstein, had become two of the best Aurors for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Her husband had chosen to continue his career as an Auror, but Susan had decided to come and join Hogwarts as she had gotten tired of fighting crime.

As soon as the applause died down, Severus continued, "Now, I have a rather special announcement to make and it's regarding your new Defense against the Dark Arts Professor who replaces Professor Remus Lupin. He's the person because of whom we are able to live today without fear of any Dark Forces invading us. He's a person who actually fought the Dark Arts and succeeded."

There was a loud murmuring in the hall now. There were smiles on the faces of Neville, Lisa and Susan at the High Table. Hermione and Ginny were giving Severus a confused look.

Severus was loving every moment of this. He had paused only for the sake of dramatic effect and was happy to see that he had succeeded in creating the drama. He continued after a few seconds,

"It took us quite a bit of time to convince him to join us again. However, after fifteen years of exile, he has finally decided to do so. Ladies and Gentlemen, your new Defense against the Dark Arts Professor is Professor Harry Potter."

There was a loud gasp at this and the door of the Great Hall opened to show a person who had been presumed dead for the last fifteen years.

Gone was the pale skinny boy with broken glasses. The man who walked in was well built and confident, with shining green eyes which threatened to hex anybody who questioned his existence.

There was complete silence in the Great Hall as he walked between the tables and upto the High Table. His eyes landed on both Hermione and Ginny, both of whom had their mouths wide open in shock.

Severus decided to get the final announcement over with. He broke the silence, "And replacing me, as your new Potions Professor is Professor Daphne Potter."

A regal looking lady walked into the Great Hall. As she had grown up, she had filled up at all the right places. Everybody who looked at her had the same thought running through their heads: She was breathtakingly beautiful.

By this point, tears had started falling down both Hermione's and Ginny's eyes. They couldn't believe that this was possible. The silence in the Great Hall continued for a few moments till both Harry and Daphne had taken their seats next to Susan.

However, it proved to be just the calm before the storm, as the Great Hall erupted with extremely loud chatter and even a bit of applause. Their saviour was back. All they had read were books about the great Harry Potter, and now he was sitting in front of them as their new Professor.

Soon, the applause reached the highest of levels until Severus stood up and bellowed, "That's enough."

The applause died down at his voice and soon the Hall became silent again.

Both Minerva McGonagall and Professor Rubeus Hagrid flashed big smiles at Harry and Daphne. He and Daphne had informed them about their existence a few years back and had made them both take a Secrecy oath. Everyone in the Wizarding world, who knew that Harry was alive, had taken the oath. Both Harry and Daphne had made sure that there were no exceptions.

Hagrid's happiness at seeing Harry had been so great, that he had happily taken it. However, McGonagall had been a little harder to convince. She had listened to their reasons and after some time she had finally relented and taken the oath.

Tears were flowing down Hermione's face. She desperately wanted to speak to Harry but at the same time she didn't want to create a scene in front of the students. She knew that she would have to wait until the sorting and the feast got over.

Severus turned and spoke to his wife and Deputy Headmistress, Professor Aurora Sinistra-Snape, "Professor Sinistra-Snape, would you please start with the sorting?"

She nodded and started reading the names off a list,

"Ackerley, Stewart"

A short boy with black hair ran upto the stool and sat on it.

The hat shouted, "HUFFLEPUFF"

The kid ran and sat on the Hufflepuff table amid cheers from his new housemates.

Professor Sinistra-Snape called out a few more names until she came to,

"Greengrass, Cyrus"

Both Harry and Daphne watched as Astoria Greengrass's son, a boy with bright blue eyes and blonde hair, walked to the Sorting Hat.

They had both been shocked on finding out that the reason behind Astoria's shift to the dark side was her falling in love with Draco Malfoy. After the battle, when Severus had gone to look for Astoria, he had been unable to find her.

Both she and Draco Malfoy had somehow managed to run away. However, after three years the Ministry had finally been able to locate Draco Malfoy and had arrested him on the charges of being a Death Eater and being branded with the Dark Mark. Astoria had escaped punishment because she hadn't been branded before Voldemort's death and the Ministry were unaware of her role in the battle.

Astoria who had been left alone, had then managed to seek out Severus Snape. She had a little boy in her arms when she came to see him. The Ministry had arrested Draco three days after she had given birth and she was in desperate need for help. Severus had taken pity on the girl and taken her into his house.

When Severus informed her, Daphne was quite shocked on hearing about Astoria's return. She had seen the girl kill Hannah Abbott and she wanted absolutely nothing to do with her. After some discussions between her, Harry and Severus, they had made an offer to Astoria.

After Astoria had gone missing, Daphne had been declared the sole heir of the Greengrass fortune. Daphne met with Astoria and offered her half of the Properties in exchange for a promise from her to stay out of Daphne's life for good.

Astoria had been heartbroken on hearing this as she already felt remorse for what she had done. She tried to convince Daphne to think about her decision, but Daphne refused.

Finally, a sobbing Astoria Greengrass was left with no option but to accept Daphne's demands. That was the last time that Daphne had seen Astoria Greengrass.

Astoria had taken a decision to keep her maiden name and named her son after her father, Cyrus Thomas Greengrass.

She had completely erased Draco from her son's life and didn't even cry when she got the news of Draco's suicide in prison. When Severus had told them about Draco's death and Astoria's lack of a reaction to the same, both Harry and Daphne were surprised.

As they saw the boy who was sitting on the stool in front of them, both of them were happy that he hadn't grown up under the influence of a thug like Draco.

They watched as the boy sat on the stool for nearly two minutes before the hat shouted,

"RAVENCLAW"

Both of them were extremely surprised by this. The son of two Slytherins had somehow managed to end up in Ravenclaw. Draco Malfoy would most probably be rolling around in his grave right now.

Cyrus got up from the stool and ran towards his new housemates as they cheered for him.

Professor Sinistra called out a few more names until she came to,

"Longbottom, Seamus"

A slightly plump boy with a jolly face walked towards the Sorting Hat and put it on his head. The hat had barely touched his head when it shouted,

"GRYFFINDOR"

The Gryffindor table erupted with cheers and Seamus jumped off the stool and walked towards his new housemates. On his way, he spotted his sister, Hannah Longbottom, who was a second year Ravenclaw; give him a big thumbs up. He smiled at her and settled down on the Gryffindor table.

Another few names were called out before,

"Potter, Alyssa"

A girl with blonde hair and green eyes walked towards the Sorting Hat. Hermione looked up with a sad face as she realized the reason behind Harry's return to the Wizarding World. She couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness as saw the green eyes of the girl which she had obviously inherited from her father.

Hermione's thoughts were interrupted by a loud shout of,

"GRYFFINDOR"

There was huge round of applause and cheers from the Gryffindor table as Alyssa got off the stool and walked towards her new housemates.

Harry turned to Daphne and exclaimed, "Yes! I knew it!"

Daphne smiled at him, "Oh, she's always been Daddy's little girl. I am sure that my boy wouldn't let me down."

Harry smiled back at her and gave her a look which said 'We'll see'.

Professor Sinistra-Snape called out, "Potter, James"

A boy with messy black hair and blue eyes strutted to the stool. He was an exact replica of Harry, but he had his mother's eyes.

The boy sat down and in a minute the Hat called out,

"SLYTHERIN"

It was Daphne's turn to gloat at Harry, and she did so. Harry took it sportingly and whispered into her ear,

"You look so gorgeous when you gloat. If there were no people present, I would ravish you right here."

Daphne felt herself blushing. However, she managed to stay composed and replied, "Patience, Mr. Potter. I assume you can hold your hunger till the feast gets over."

Harry grinned and responded, "I can try."

Daphne gave him a sultry grin and then shifted her focus to the Sorting Hat.

Susan was sitting next to Daphne and she had heard a part of their conversation. She had known them for quite some time and could very well assume what the rest of it had all been about. She muttered something under her breath which sounded a lot like 'sex-obsessed maniacs'.

Soon, the sorting ended and Snape got up again. He bellowed,

"Let the feast begin."

The feast lasted for nearly an hour and each second seemed like a decade to Hermione. She still felt like the entire world was surreal at the present moment. The person whom she loved, Harry Potter was alive. And that wasn't the only thing, he had also married a girl who had the reputation of being the 'Ice Princess' of Hogwarts and usually used to stay away from guys. If that wasn't enough, they even had a couple of kids who were adorable.

Ginny tried her best to calm Hermione down and she succeeded in doing so to a small extent. Even Ginny was hurting but her pain was nowhere close to what Hermione was going through.

It was a matter of time before all the students were out of the Great Hall. Both Harry and Daphne were also about to leave for their quarters when Hermione called out,

"Harry"

Harry had been expecting this but was hoping to avoid it all the same. He turned around to face her.

Harry could see the tears in Hermione's eyes. Although, she was maintaining her composure, it wasn't long before the floodgates would open.

Hermione looked at the towering figure of the man she loved. She just let out a small, "Why?"

Harry replied, "I don't think that I owe any explanations to people who claim to be my friends and then leave me to die alone."

This did it. The tears came streaming down Hermione's face as soon as she heard this.

After a few moments of silence, she whimpered out, "But, Harry. I know I shouldn't have left. I tried my level best to try and get back to you. I just made one wrong decision..."

Harry interrupted her, "That wrong decision of yours nearly cost me my life. I would have been frozen at the bottom of a pond if the woman standing next to me hadn't saved me."

This hurt Hermione even more. Her intuition had been right. Harry had indeed been talking to a girl when she was listening to the Deluminator. Daphne Greengrass was the one who saved Harry from the pond, not Severus Snape.

Hermione knew that she had lost her chance a long while back. She was happy with Ginny and just wanted to be Harry's friend again.

She spoke again, tears still flowing down her face, "I am really very sorry, Harry. It's been fifteen years and every single day I have repented my decision to abandon you. Please forgive me, Harry. I want us to be friends again."

Harry responded, "The only reason I came back to the Wizarding World was because of my kids and their education. Your actions in the forest hurt me and you have to live with the consequences of the choice you made. I don't know if we'll be friends again, Hermione. And right now, I am not even inclined to try."

With that, both Harry and Daphne turned around and left, leaving a completely shaken Hermione behind them.

As Harry and Daphne walked to their quarters, Daphne placed her arm on Harry's shoulders. She knew that he was having a rough time tonight and that she was the only person who could make him happy.

Harry was soothed by her touch and soon he was smiling again. As both of them entered their quarters, Daphne couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Hermione.

But at the same time, she knew that Harry was also right in his place.

Life was full of choices. It was a matter of choosing between what was right and what was easy.

Whichever choice you made, one way or another, you had to live with the consequences.

----------------

**Epilogue**

As Harry headed toward the Headmaster's Office alongwith Daphne, he couldn't help but feel extremely pleased with his life. Two years had passed since his arrival at Hogwarts and things were looking up for him.

The first few days had been awkward as both he and Daphne had to deal with the Wizarding Press and the general public's reaction to his return. However, Daphne had come up with a plan that had managed to save them from quite a lot of grief. They had bought out the Daily Prophet and as soon as they had done so, the number of reporters hounding them had decreased drastically.

Another reason for awkwardness had been frequent encounters with Hermione and Ginny in the Great Hall or in the Staff Room. However, they had soon managed to develop a working relationship and the awkwardness had reduced.

A few days after their return, Ginny had requested them to visit the Burrow and both Harry and Daphne had complied. The entire Weasley family had been thrilled to see Harry, and Molly Weasley in particular had nearly hugged him to death. They had not been that enthused on seeing Daphne, but after hearing Harry's story, everybody had thanked her for the role that she had played in the war.

After a lavish dinner which had been prepared by Molly, both Harry and Daphne had taken their leave after promising to come again. And they had done so too. They had made it a habit to visit the Burrow atleast once a month.

After a few months, even Harry's relationship with Hermione became a bit better. They would never be the best friends that they were at one point of time, but they had managed to form some kind of a friendship.

As for the others, Dobby and Tipsy had gotten married immediately after Neville and Hermione had succeeded in getting the House Elf Liberation Act passed by the Wizengamot. They had continued to live with the Potters and had even shifted with them to Hogwarts.

Remus and Nymphadora Lupin had settled into a good old early retirement after leaving Hogwarts. Their son, Harry Lupin had followed his mother's footsteps and had just joined the Auror Training Programme.

Terry and Luna Boot had both decided to move to Switzerland as they wanted a life of peace and quiet. However, they both did visit and were very much a part of Harry's group of friends.

Harry thought about all these people and couldn't help but think that sometimes life had a way of working out perfectly.

He had defeated one of the greatest Dark Lords in the history of the Wizarding World. He had even conned the entire Wizarding World by pulling off the greatest disappearing act of all times.

He had a great group of friends whom he could always rely upon. More importantly, he had a beautiful wife who had been with him every step of the way and had given him two amazing kids.

Now only one thing remained.

He came to a stop at the Headmaster's Office door. He looked at Daphne and saw that she was looking back at him. He got this irresistible urge to kiss her. He was about to do so, when the door opened and a voice interrupted him,

"Would you two stop? Not outside my office atleast."

Harry felt himself go red as he looked at Severus Snape who was standing in front of him. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Daphne glaring at Severus.

After a few moments of awkward silence, they walked inside and Snape spoke again, "Now, are you two sure about this?

Harry replied, "Yes."

"Do you have your new spell ready?"

Now, Daphne was the one who replied, "Yes."

Snape didn't waste any further time. He moved towards the wall and removed the drape. Barely a second had passed before Harry and Daphne drew out their wands and yelled together,

"_Exitosus Flatus!_"

Snape looked aghast and stood petrified in his spot as the spell did its damage. He had just managed to move out of its way.

Both Harry and Daphne smirked at him and left the office hand-in-hand.

Slowly, Snape turned around and looked at the floor.

There lay the broken fragments of the only portrait of Albus Dumbledore.

All was well.

(A/N: That's all folks!

Thanks for all the ideas regarding Harry's and Daphne's return to the Wizarding World. I decided to stick with the idea that I had already planned, after seeing that quite a few reviewers suggested the same thing.

I would really like to know how many of you thought that Hermione had married Ron! *evil grin*

I know that I should have warned you about implied femslash, but frankly I didn't really think that it was anything too gross.

I have simultaneously uploaded the second chapter of my Harry Potter/ Lisa Turpin/ Tracey Davis fic. It's titled **'The Power Triangle'**. I hope that you read it, and like what you read.

Thanks to **bloodhunter88** for his suggestions in this chapter.

In case anyone's interested,_ Exitosus Flatus_ = Destructive Blast in Latin.

Thanks for reading and for all the reviews so far. You've all been awesome!

P.S: I have changed my alias from **Deathstick87** to **The Unusual Suspect. **I felt that the previous name was slightly juvenile.

Sorry for the painfully long author's note. But it's the last chapter of the story and I couldn't resist :))


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